ILIBRAHY OF CONGRESS. # 

#|I«'l? ^ogBtighf r ^o ^ 



f UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, f 



THE LIFE 



OF 



EUDOLF STIEE 



(From German Sources.) 

/ 

By JOHN P. LAOROIX. 



■' The hest home for the soul is in that Church where there is the least talk of the 
Church, and the moat of Christ."— (P. 296.) 



XEW YORK: 4 ■--.... __^-^' 
NELSON & PHILLIPS. 

CINCINNATI: HITCHCOCK & WALUEN. 

18T4. 







Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1874, by 

NELSON & PHILLIPS, 
in the OfB.ce of the Librarian of Congress at Washington. 



/ 1 - 3 ^f 



PREFACE. 



tN the preparation of this Life we lay no claim to 
originality. We have simply woven into a plain, 
rapid narrative the substance of the materials 
at our command. These materials, apart from our 
own general acquaintance with Stier's writings and 
position, were : first, a brief monograph by Dr. Carl 
Nitzsch ; * second, an essay by Dr. Tholuck in 
Herzog*s Encyclopedia; third, letters received from 
friends and relatives of Stier ; but fourthly, and 
chiefly, a Life of Stier by his two sons, f This 
latter work consists of two thick, closely-printed 
duodecimo volumes of somewhat less than a thou- 
sand pages in all, and is, despite its prolixity, a de- 
lightful book for all who read German. As it gathers 
within itself nearly every thing that is known, or has 
been written, of Stier s life, we have used it through- 

* Dr. Rudolf Stier als Theologe^ von Dr. Carl Immanuel Nitzsch, 
Barmen, 1865. 

\Dr. Ewald Rudolf Stier, Versuch einer Darstellung seines Lebens 
und Wirkens von G. Stier, Dir. d. Herzogl. Francisceums in Zerbst, 
in Verbindung mit F. Stier, Diaconus zu Set. Nicolai in Eislcben, 
Wittenberg, 1871. 



iv Preface. 

out as our chief source — always, however, freely 
tempering our narrative by a careful utilization of 
the other sources. 

A Life of Rudolf Stier in English seems to be de- 
sirable for several reasons : — 

It brings us into elevated associations. Stier 
studied successively under Schleiermacher, Neander, 
and Dr. Wette, at Berlin ; Knapp, Gesenius, and 
Wegscheider, at Halle; and Nitzsch, Schleussner, 
and Heubner, at Wittenberg. He was the early 
companion of Tholuck, the life-long friend of Rothe, 
and the beloved intimate of Carl Nitzsch. Through- 
out life he stood in close relations to many of the 
rarest spirits of Europe. 

It throws open the secret heart-life of a thoroughly 
Christian. German theologian. We have many his- 
tories of the outside-life of great men ; but the true 
life is the inner life of the soul. Few lives will bear 
such a thorough undraping as does that of Stier. 
This is freely done here, and in such a manner as to 
preclude misrepresentation — by a constant reference 
to documents and testimony. 

It introduces us to a beautiful Christian courtship. 
One is tempted to wonder at the naivete with which 
Dr. Stier s sons have disclosed to the public a whole 
series of incidents which usually remain forever 
locked up in the hearts of bride and bridegroom. 
Love-letters, for example, are rarely seen by more 



Preface. v 

than a couple of pairs of eyes. The chief love-letters 
of Stier are here published in full, as also a few ex- 
tracts from the answers he received. We think there 
has been no indiscretion in this. The courtship of 
Rudolf Stier is published to the world, for the good 
reason that it is one which will ^^^r publishing. We 
cordially recommend this chapter both to parents 
and to young folks. 

It portrays a marvel of productive work. Stier 
united in himself the teacher, the savant, the pastor, 
and the author. In each of these characters he ac- 
complished more than the whole life-work of an ordi- 
nary man. And the fruits are still abundantly visi- 
ble. Pupils of his training abound in the schools of 
eastern Prussia, and beneficently dot a wide scope of 
foreign missionary ground. Of his four periods of pas- 
toral labor, two fell upon uncongenial, stony fields ; 
but in each case the desert was made — at least in spots 
— to blossom as the rose. His literary productiveness 
is simply astounding. Not to mention his numerous 
unpublished or destroyed manuscripts, and the thir- 
teen elaborately planned works which he did not 
live to produce, his actually published original works 
— some of them profoundly erudite — fill more, than 
fifty volumes. And yet Stier was a great physical 
sufferer — almost an invalid — from the very begin- 
ning of his clerical career. 

But, best of all, it bears striking witness to the 



vi Preface. 

potency of divine grace. Stier was not very plastic 
material out of which to form a humble Christian. 
His original disposition was decidedly gnarly and ob- 
stinate. His will was eminently willful ; but, after it 
had once traversed the crisis of a radical conversion, 
it was thenceforth as loyal to God as it had hitherto 
been loyal to itself The general result was a char- 
acter admirable for strength and for fineness of 
texture — a life that does not need to be beautified in 
order to be beautiful. 

Such are the reasons which encourage this modest 
narrative to approach the public. Persuaded of their 
sufficient validity, it is conscious of a real and ear- 
nest mission. Inspired by its noble theme, it aspires 
to diffuse that inspiration abroad. It has, indeed, no 
immaculate saint to depict ; but it does portray one 
whose whole soul was ablaze for the Christian ideal, 
whose habitual breath was drawn from a very serene 
sphere, and whose daily outlook took in unusual ho- 
rizons ; — and it hopes to lead others to love the image 
portrayed. 

Ohio Wesleyan University, 

Delaware, Ohio, January, 1874. 




CONTENTS. 



CHAPTER I. 



UNTIL ENTERING THE UNIVERSITY. 
[March, 1800, to October, 1815.] 

Parents of Rudolf Stier — Birth — Poverty — Christmas Festivities — 
Mischievousness — Gymnasium at Stolpe — A Blustry School-master — 
Hermann Waldow — Boyish Oratory — Tempted to Dance — Makes a 
Map — Gymnasium at Neustettin — "Crusoe" in Latin — School Trials 
— Home Cheer — Scans Homer — Geographical Perplexity — Examined 
at Berlin for the University Pages 1-9 



CHAPTER n. 

STUDIES IN BERLIN UNDER SCHLEIERMACHER, DE WETTE, 
AND SOLGER. 

[October, 1815, to April, 1818.] 

Great Men at Berlin — Solger — Stier Benefited by Solger — Grand- 
father Langner — An Ideal Preacher — Neander — Stier Repelled by 
Schleiermacher — Patriotic Gymnastics — Muscular Christianity — J aim 
— A Social Pipe — Youthful Patriotism — The ** Burschenschaft" 
Movement — "Off the Stage with Luther" — "Dido" — A Bonfire — 
Religiously Impressed by Langner — Friendship with Tholuck, Jean 
Paul, and Fouque — Stier's Independence 10-20 



viii Contents. 



CHAPTER III. 

STUDIES AT HALLE UNDER KNAPP, GESENIUS, AND WEG- 
SCHEIDER. 

[1818.] 

Rationalism at Halle — A Romantic Friendship — Pedestrianism — 
Esoterica — Gesenius' Unfairness — Wegscheider — Moralizing in the 
Pulpit — Theology versus Philosophy — The ** German Garb " — The 
*' Student-mirror " — True Gallantry Pages 21-26 



CHAPTER IV. 

PAULINE'S DEATH — A WINTER AT HALLE — A VACATION 
AT STOLPE. 

[1818-1819.] 

A Romantic Attachment— Pauline's Death — Effect on Rudolf — A 
Passionate Letter — Spiritual Awakening — Religious Patriotism — 
Jean Paul — Rennecke — Rudolf Moody — Kotzebue Assassinated — 
" Ninety Crocodile-eggs " — Rudolf at Stolpe — A Dancing Incident 
— "Tales and Dreams" — Metger — Melanchthon's Prayer — A Re- 
moval 27-40 



CHAPTER V. 

STUDIES AGAIN AT BERLIN — CONVERSION. 

[October, 1819, to April, 1821.] 

Studies under Marheineke, etc. — Helps himself by Teaching — An 
Epic Shelved — Melancholy — Spiritual Struggles — " Paradise Apples" 
— Jahn Again — Disenchantment — S tier's Originality — The " Imita- 
tion of Christ" — Attracted to Mysticism — Baron von Kottwitz — A 
Pietistic Salon — A Hallowed Circle — A Lay Consecration — Father 
Janicke — Stuhr — Self- reformation — Neander — Gichtelianism — Ref- 
utation of Mysticism — Self-reproaches — Stier Breaks with Worldli- 
ness — Discards Schiller — Bible Revision — A Pietist Band — Stier 
Cautioned by Metger — Goes to Wittenberg 41-64 



Contents. ix 



CHAPTER VI. 

STUDIES AT WITTENBERG UNDER THE ELDER NITZSCH, 
SCHLEUSSNER, AND HEUBNER. 

[1821-1822.] 

The Wittenberg Seminary — Heubner — Stier's First Sennon — A 
Goose in Church— Schleussner Lectures in Latin — Bible Study — 
Rothe — Griindler Criticises Stier — Stier's Defense — Rothe on Stier — 
Suffering Reproach — Stier Reformatory — Krummacher — Stier and 
Tholuck — A Testimonial Pages 65-82 



CHAPTER Vn. 

CONTINUES AT WITTENBERG — COURTSHIP. 
[1822-1823.] 

Loneliness — Not Good for Man to be Alone — Ernestine — Her 
Beauty of Character — How Stier fell in Love — A Holy Club — The 
"Abbess" — Letter to Ernestine — A Love-Letter — Christian Mar- 
riage — Notes from Ernestine — Stier among the Moravians — Gnaden- 
frei — A Gifted Lady — Secular Literature — Rudolf's Love — Felling 
Cherry-trees — Playfulness^— Stier's Criticism of his Past — He Re- 
tracts — The Yes ! for Life— Stier's Exaltation — He Asks Dr. Nitzsch 
for his Daughter — Mother Nitzsch 83-118 

CHAPTER VHL 

TEACHER IN LITHUANIA — MARRIAGE — JOURNEY TO BASLE. 

[May, 1823, to November, 1824.] 

Stier Teaches in Lithuania — Learns Charity — Heart Revelations — 
Borowski — Stier Preaches at Gumbinnen — Francke — A Touch of 
Vanity — Stier as Pedagogue — Growth in Holiness — Stier Hastening 
his Marriage — An Unrealized Ordination — First Important Book — 
Stier's Conscientiousness — A Naive Letter — Petition to Dr. Nitzsch 
— Stier called a "Mystic" — Von Meyer on the " Hints" — Schmicder 
— Stier Invited to Basle — Blumhardt — A Letter from Ebel — The 
Last Bride-letter— Bliss 119-145 



X Contents. 

CHAPTER IX. 

LABORS AT THE BASLE MISSION SEMINARY. 

[November, 1824, to August, 1825.] 

The Wedding — Address of the Bride's Father — A Festive Even- 
ing — An Embarrassment — Farewell — Journey to Basle — Alwine — 
Interview with Von Meyer — The Atonement — Nitzsch on Missions 
— Gobat Meets Stier — Welcomed by the Students — A Young House- 
wife — The Basle Dialect — A Tea-Meeting — The Seminary — Stier's 
Colleagues — Stier's Creed — Ordination — Isaiah — The Atonement — 
Bishop Gobat on Stier — Martha versus Mary — Ernestine — Gift- 
surprises — The Wolf z/^. the Sheep — A Serious Sprain — French Maids 
— Unfortunate Poems — Rothe — Rennecke's Wish. . . .Pages 146-179 

CHAPTER X. 

FURTHER LABORS IN BASLE. 

[August, 1825, to July, 1827.] 

Rejoicings over a Son — A Strange Gift — Secret-keeping — Nursery 
Maxims — Bitter vs. Sweet — Family Affliction — The Cross — Heart- 
rending — Stier's 111 Health — Literary Labors — Misunderstandings — 
The Second " Hints " — Horror of Routine — Rennecke's Mistake — 
Determination to Resign — Changes in the Seminary 180-193 

CHAPTER XL 

LAST YEAR AT BASLE — INTERIM AT WITTENBERG. 

[July, 182T, to July, 1829.] 

Teaching — Suffering — Lecturing from a Sofa — Basle Liberality — 
Hebrew — " Words of the Apostles " — Noble Wife ! — Stier Esteemed 
— Farewell — Journey — Tubingen — Father Nitzsch — Why Wait so 
Long? — Rationalism — Curious Faults — Stier's "Vacation" — Rothe 
and Stier — A Second Son — Blumhardt Offended — Correspondence 
with Steudel — Mystical versus Scientific — ''Keryktics" — Assailed by 
Lucke — New Field 194-206 



Contents. xi 

CHAPTER XII. 

FIRST THREE YEARS OF PASTORAL LABOR AT FRANKLEBEN. 

[July, 1829, to October, 1832.] 

A Rural Parish — Frankleben and Runstadt — St. Martin's — The 
Parson's House — ^Journey — Installation — A Zero Morality — Confes- 
sion — Stier Laughed at — Festina lente — Bible-preaching — The Con- 
fessor's Fee — An Organ Dedication — Stier no Stoic — A School Festi- 
val — Ernestine among the Women — Whitsuntide Follies — Maternity 
—Marriage a Duty — An Angel of Mercy — A Daughter — Death of 
Father Nitzsch — Ernestine's First Visit to Father Stier. Pages 207-222 

CHAPTER XIII. 

SIX FURTHER YEARS AT FRANKLEBEN — CALL TO WEST- 
PHALIA. 

[October, 1832, to October, 1888.] 

Barren Soil — Longing for a Revival — The Temperance Cause — 
"Fanatic," ''Mystic" — Anecdote by Tholuck — A "New System of 
Hebrew Grammar" — Hymn-Book Editing — " The Hymn-Book Cri- 
sis" — Burdens of Ernestine — Stier's Sleeplessness — Children — A 
Trial — A Sad Christmas — The Valley of the Wupper — The Collen- 
buschites — Advice of Nitzsch — Farewell to Frankleben 223-237 



CHAPTER XIV. 

FIRST PASTORAL LABORS IN BARMEN — ERNESTINE'S 
DEATH. 

[November, 1838, to AprH, 1839.] 

The "Wupperthal" — Sander — A Festive "Entrance" — Welcome 
— " God's Acre " — Induction — Charge — Stier's Boldness — Grand 
Preaching — Labor with the Children — Too Laconic — Friction — Ear- 
ly Rising — Affliction — Death of Ernestine — Her Assurance — Funeral 
— Grave-yard — Condolence — Words from Schmieder — Words from 
Tholuck — Effect upon Stier 238-250 



xii Contents. 

CHAPTER XV. 

FURTHER LABORS IN BARMEN — SECOND MARRIAGE. 

[April, 1839, to Apiil, 1843.] 

Motherless Children — Fresh Energy in Preaching — Style — Ven- 
turing upon Mysteries — The Higher Life — The Safer Position — Con- 
fession-fees — Temperance — Instruction of Children — Model Pastoral 
Visiting — The Sick — Downrightness — The Origin of the " Words " — 
Baal — A Ministerial Meeting — Stier Writes to Alwine — Alwine, 
Ernestine's Choice — Strange Advice — A Brief Courtship — Mar- 
riage — Bridal Excursion — An Inside View — A Long-lived Sexton — 
Weary Pages 251-274 

CHAPTER XVI. 

SEVERE LABORS AND TRIALS. 

[May, 1843, to July, 1S46.] 

Proposals for a New Field — Projected New Seminary — Latin— A 
Journey to Gumbiimen — Impatient of Trammels — Stier near Death 
— Little Louise Buried — Morphine — A Mistake for Life — More 
Poems — " Hebrews " — " James " — A Festive Centenary — " Polyglot 
Bible" — Journey to Switzerland — Visit to Rothe — To Basle — Un- 
reasonable Demands — Pastor versus Flock — Economy of Time — 
Refreshed Spirits — Unappreciativeness — Disenchantment. . .275-283 

CHAPTER XVII. 

RESIGNATION OF OFFICE — LAST MONTHS IN BARMEN. 

[August, 1846, to March, 1S4T.] 

A Collision — The Self-righteous Irritated — Stier no Flatterer — The 
Pretext — Conciliatory but Self-Respecting — The Office not to be De- 
graded — Resignation — Faithful Labors — Made a " D.D." — What 
Stier Thought of it — Besought to Resume his Office — Nervousness — 
Kindnesses — A Festive Breakfast — Modest Charitableness — Peace 
after the Storm ; 284-293 



Contents. xiii 

CHAPTER XVIII. 

THREE YEARS OF RETIREMENT AT WITTENBERG. 

[April, 184T, to May, 1850.] 

An Heroic Step — One Year becomes Three — "A Zoar" — Stier's 
Politics — Anti-bigotry — A Pamphlet — " Ephesians " — " Isaiah " — Al- 
ford Writes to Stier — Opinion of Romanism — Anonymous Abuse — 
Suffering — Call to Schkeuditz — A Wife in Tears — An Uninviting Field 
— A Hesitating Acceptance — Stier to the Burgomaster. Pages 294-301 

CHAPTER XIX. 

NINE YEARS AS SUPERINTENDENT AT SCHKEUDITZ. 

[May, 1850, to August, 1859.] 

Removal — Welcome — " Induction" — Cholera — Small Coin — Pas- 
tor Weiss — Fruits — Testimony of Dr. Elze — Forgivingness — Reform- 
atoriness — Doting Parents Offended — Stier Shows the Insolent the 
Door — Good Effects — Bible-hours — Stier's Unction — Parish Visita- 
tions — Pastoral Conferences — Stier Jocose — Literary — Correspond- 
ence — Mr. Pope — Alford — The Neo-Lutherans — Domestic Affliction 
— Happy Marriages — Leaves Schkeuditz 302-312 

CHAPTER XX. 

THREE YEARS AS SUPERINTENDENT AT EISLEBEN — SUD- 
DEN DEATH; 

[August, 1859, to December, 1862.] 

Eisleben — A Higher Style of Preaching — Bible-hours — Social In- 
fluence — Stier's Physique and Manner — " What ? How ? and Who ? " 
— Zeal — Pastoral Conferences — Stier's Affability — Bright Plopes — 
Hildegarde — Failing Strength — Approaches of the End — Humility 
— Love in Wedlock — Blessed Bible-hours — Last Sermon — A Walk — 
Last Evening in his Family — Death — Alwine's Account of it — Gen- 
eral Surprise — Condolence — Funeral — Grave — Life-motto. . 313-332 




RUDOLF 8TIER. 



CHAPTER I. 

UNTIL ENTERING THE UNIVERSITY. 
[Marehi, 1800, to October, 1815.] 

J HE childhood and early youth of Rudolf Stier 
were passed in East and North-east Prussia. 
His parents were of the better citizen-class 
and of good general culture. His mother was the 
daughter of an excellent Lutheran pastor, and was 
graced with a cheerful temper, clear judgment, and 
domestic virtues. His father, after studying at the 
Breslau gymnasium, entered the Prussian provincial 
revenue-service, and with slight interruption con- 
tinued in this employment throughout his life. He 
was a sturdy, strong-willed, jocose man, thoroughly 
and loyally Prussian, and outwardly devoted to the 
Lutheranism of his fathers. 

Rudolf Stier was born in Fraustadt, March 17, 
1 800, the second of a little flock of eleven children. 
At baptism, in his fourteenth day, he was christened 
Ewald Rudolf 

The parents of the future theologian had a hard 



2 Rudolf Stier. 

struggle of it in their early married life. Their in- 
come was very scant. In 1801 they lost their all by 
fire. Four years later came the scourges of famine 
and war. They had frequently to change residence. 
Scarcely had they settled under more promising 
circumstances in Prussian Poland when an insurrec- 
tion broke out, and a band of the populace, armed 
with scythes and hay-forks, entered their town and 
penetrated their house, demanding the contents of 
kitchen and cellar. The terrified mother hustled her 
children into a little bed with the ominous words : 
" Now you will have to sleep." Happily, the lives 
of all were spared. But the six-year-old Rudolf re- 
ceived impressions from that day, and from the wild 
cannonading of the night following, which clung to 
him till his latest days. 

After many delays, and long patient waiting for 
promotion, we find the family, in October, 18 10, re- 
moved to the far North, and settled in Pomerania, at 
Stolpe, with an income of four hundred thalers. This 
was to be their home for nine years. 

Rudolf was now ten years old. So many chang- 
ing circumstances had given him a rich experience. 
Brightest among his early recollections were the 
Christmas joys prepared for the little ones by parents 
and grand-parents. For many days beforehand the 
expected gifts were fondly talked of by children, and 
stealthily collected by parents. A big armed-chair 
was set apart in a distant room, and covered over. 
Upon this chair the intended gifts began to accumu- 
late weeks before the longed-for day. Great was the 
joy of the little ones at being allowed occasionally to 



A BhisUy Rector, 3 

approach the mysterious chair and peer around the 
cover, and surmise what was under it. Though not 
daring to Hft the cover, they yet had immense de- 
Hght in perceiving how the mass beneath it grew in 
magnitude from day to day. 

Rudolf was sent to school at the age of seven. 
Early among his studies was Latin, in which he 
made rapid progress. His father, with the usual 
vanity of parents, loved to show off his boy before 
company. Once^ however, he had to bite his lips 
with chagrin ; for, having asked Rudolf to compare 
bonus, the mischievous little fellow put on a forced 
seriousness and cried out : bonus, bonior, bonissimus I 
But usually Rudolf allowed himself very few liberties 
with his father, and he was early accustomed to un- 
conditional obedience. In after years he used to re- 
late how hard this was to him in some cases. Once, 
having finally succeeded, after great pains, in com- 
pleting a beautiful little play-castle in the yard, he 
was peremptorily ordered to tear it down and re- 
move it hnmediately ; and he did so. But he never 
forgot how bitterly his little heart was disappointed. 

At Stolpe Rudolf had further school privileges. 
The gymnasium of the place, however, was but a 
passable affair. The rector was a very moody man^ 
One day he would be as bright and bland as May ; 
the next, as surly as a March wind. When in a cheer- 
ful humor he wore a very tall, ancient-patterned 
black hat ; when in a blustry humor, a tight little 
cap ; so that the boys could always pretty well fore- 
cast what was to come. And woe to the unhappy 
urchin upon whom the first blast of one of his stormy 



4 Rudolf Stier. 

days broke loose ! The whizzing of the hazel rod 
would buzz in his ears for days after. This rector 
piqued himself on his mastery of French. But once 
he suffered a mortifying shipwreck in the presence 
of some of his scholars ; for the town was over- 
flowed with French soldiery, but he was unable to 
make the unwelcome visitors understand a single 
word ! The second teacher was a man of more solid 
parts than the rector, but he had also some pecul- 
iarities. His way of punishing is now happily pretty 
well out of fashion. He was very robust ; and when 
he had occasion to chastise— which sometimes hap- 
pened—it was his custom to seize the culprit by the 
pants behind, and, suspending him in mid-air with 
one hand, to lay on the birch with the other. These 
two men, together with a third of no special pecul- 
iarities, were the teachers to whom young Rudolf 
was now committed for over two years. 

In October, 1810, the scholars of the gymnasium 
were thrown into great commotion by the announce- 
ment of the rector, that, after careful examination 
of the scholarship of the son of the newly-arrived 
revenue officer, he had concluded, notwithstanding 
his youth, to introduce him into prima^ (the highest 
class). And many were at once prepossessed with 
envy toward the little stranger. But no sooner had 
the modest, almost maiden-like, boy made his appear- 
ance than all envy had vanished, and he was cheer- 
fully tolerated. Among the larger scholars who be- 
came warmly attached to him here was Hermann 
Waldow — a friendship which lasted throughout life. 
It must have been in the absence of Waldow that 



A Dancing Adve7iUire. 5 

once, while waiting for the professor, some of the 
larger boys mischievously took hold of Rudolf and 
hoisted him upon a lofty mineral case, from whence 
he had to be helped down by the rector. As the 
studies were not rapidly pushed, Rudolf and Waldow 
had much leisure for indulging their spontaneous 
whims. Waldow was a poet, and Rudolf became a 
dramatist and orator. To give scope to their tastes 
they instituted a literary society, and delivered orig- 
inal poems and dialogues to the great delight of the 
parents and friends. 

By these boyish enterprises, and by his general 
cheerful humor, Rudolf gave great pleasure to his 
father. And yet at this early period a certain radical 
difference between father and son began to show 
itself. This appeared most emphatically on the sub- 
ject of dancing. Of this amusement the father was 
excessively fond ; but Rudolf always disrelished it. 
On one occasion the father required that Rudolf 
should attend the customary ball that was given 
once a year to the pupils of the gymnasium, and, 
when present, he insisted on his taking part in 
the dance. As there was no escape, he outwardly 
obeyed ; but he petulantly demeaned himself so awk- 
wardly, dancing right and left out of all order, as to 
call down upon himself a general outburst of laugh- 
ter, whereupon he rushed out of the hall and ran 
home. In most respects, however, he was very glad 
to second and help his father. He became a sort of 
secretary to him, and thus formed habits of method 
in writing, which greatly advantaged him in after-life. 
In those days a detailed map of a province was a 



6 Rudolf Stier. 

rare and costly thing. The father, being hardly able 
to purchase one, borrowed a fine one for a few days ; 
and Rudolf, by the help of a large sheet of paper, a 
few pencils, and some colors, soon prepared so per- 
fect a copy of it that his father could and did safely 
rely on it for all the details of his official journeys 
during his whole stay at Stolpe. 

But this was only mere mechanical skill. Rudolfs 
talents soon excited in his father a desire to give him 
a better education than Stolpe afforded. Inquiry 
was made after a gymnasium more worthy of the 
name. That of Xeustettin having been selected, 
Rudolf left home with high heart, and in May, 1813, 
was admitted by Rector Lentz into the next to the 
highest class. His last day in the Stolpe school was 
a pretty proud occasion. During the closing exer- 
cises the name '' Rudolf Stier'' had stood in bright 
letters before the eyes of the whole public upon a 
laurel-encircled tablet of honor. 

The gymnasium of Xeustettin was not, however, 
equal to its reputation. Its ideal was far below that 
of a Prussian gymnasium of the present, and its 
reality was far below its own defective ideal. Not 
enough teachers were employed. Very few pupils 
reached the higher classes. Moreover, in those days 
of military devastation the recruiting officer not un- 
frequently came and stripped the school of its older 
scholars. The subject-matter of the instruction was 
not very high. Latin was pretty extensively pur- 
sued, and its study was made attractive by the 
use, early in the course, of a Latin " Robinson 
Crusoe." Greek was taught two or three years, be- 



Studies the Classics. 7 

ginning with the inevitable Gedike : Vwi] ng %??pa 

As might be anticipated, Rudolf, who had been 
able to read Horace at the age of ten, was rather dis- 
appointed at the grade of the school. Add to this 
that the three larger boys with whom he shared a 
room were very uncongenial, and even rude to him, 
and that in the whole school he found no such com- 
panion as Hermann Waldow had been, and we can 
readily comprehend the young scholar's gladness as 
the July vacation approached, and permitted him to 
visit his parents. In his joy at seeing the famihar 
old Stolpe coachman drive up and stop for him be- 
fore his boarding-house, he so far forgot all rank-dis- 
tinctions as actually to rush out and kiss his hand. 

Two weeks of home-life restored him pretty well 
from his discouragement, and he cheerfully returned 
to school determined to make the best of it. His 
mother accompanied him this time, and obtained for 
him better lodgings, leaving him a good supply of 
home delicacies, and conciliating the servants in his 
favor by liberal gratuities before starting home. 

In 1 8 14 Rudolf was promoted to the highest class. 
But owing to the siftings of war, this class consisted 
simply of himself and one other. Rector Lentz, 
however, did his best to keep up his interest in teach- 
ing so small a class. To give it a little more the 
show of an audience he sometimes added to it his 
own not untalented daughter. The studies which 
here most interested Rudolf were the Latin and Greek 
classics. He became acquainted pretty thoroughly 

* A certain widow had a hen, etc. 



8 Rudolf Stier. 

with Virgil, Horace and Cicero, Xenophon, Theo- 
phrastus, Herodotus, Thucydides, and Homer. His 
favorite of all was Homer. He studied him so assid- 
uously that he was able to translate many passages 
exte^npore into the hexameters of the original. But 
the rector s method was the old-fashioned, dry, gram- 
matical one. He required every word to be parsed, 
and all the rules and exceptions to be punctiliously 
rehearsed in each case. Sometimes he would, thus, 
get over not more than two lines in a lesson. To 
the speaking of Latin — then almost universal in Ger- 
man gymnasia — no attention at all was here given. 
Under such circumstances it was only an innate 
knowledge-thirst such as Rudolf's that could give 
any charm to such studies. 

The geographical instruction in the gymnasia was 
just now very unsatisfactory. The Napoleonic wars 
had so many times reconstructed State boundaries 
that it was really difficult for frontier teachers to 
keep the track of events. After some hesitation, 
Rector Lentz concluded to look upon all these 
changes as a mere abnormal state of things, and, in 
the mean time, to hold fast to the ancient State 
boundaries. Thus Rudolf had the pleasure of form- 
ing acquaintance with the some hundred and fifty 
German States as they existed before the irruptions 
of the troublesome Frank. 

Unfortunately, after three quarters of a year's study 
in this class, Rudolf's sole class-mate was called away 
to military service ; and as the rector preferred not to 
keep up the class with only a single member, he ad- 
vised Rudolf's father to seek out another gymnasium. 



1 



Examined at Berlin, 9 

But as the paternal treasury would ill admit of this, 
it was concluded to send Rudolf at once to the 
university. For this, however, the boy of fifteen 
years was relatively only poorly prepared. His op- 
portunities had been far less than those enjoyed by 
the majority of applicants for matriculation. As he 
could furnish no certificate of gymnasial examina- 
tion, he had to be examined at the university. His 
solid abilities, however, stood him here in good place. 
After a brief preparation by private study he re- 
paired to Berlin at Michaelmas, (September 29,) 18 15. 
He readily passed the dreaded ordeal, having suc- 
ceeded, without the least help, in solving the lin- 
guistic difficulties proposed, while all the others exam- 
ined at the same time with him had come with their 
pockets well stuffed with all sorts of aids. Among 
those who examined him were such men as Bockh, 
Snethlage, and Bernhardi. 

The next chapter will present the ambitious young 
student amid the passions of a tumultuous university 
career. 




CHAPTER II. 

Studies in Berlin under Schleiermacher, 
De Wette, and Solger. 

[ October, 1815, to April, 1818. ] 

JHE University of Berlin, at the time when 
Rudolf Stier entered it, was the focal point of 
the culture and patriotism of the Fatherland. 
It was the youngest (founded in 1807) and the most 
flourishing of all the German high schools. Rarely 
has a single university had, at one and the same 
time, such a brilliant galaxy of professors as Schleier- 
macher, De Wette, Marheineke, Neander, Savigny, 
Eichhorn, Hufeland, Grafe, Solger, Bockh, etc. 
These men were mostly at this time in the prime 
of manhood. They breathed into their several de- 
partments an unwonted enthusiasm. Fichte had 
just fallen, but the inspiration of his kingly spirit 
still hovered over the school. 

The real motive of Stier in coming to the uni- 
versity was a longing to see the world, and a vague 
aspiration for knowledge in general. To please his 
father he entered the law department, and even suc- 
ceeded in interesting himself in some of the lectures, 
especially those of Eichhorn. The first few months, 
however, he employed in hearing occasional lectures 



i 



Studies in Berlin, ii 

in all the departments, just as the whim of the mo- 
ment might incline him. He thus obtained a general 
acquaintance with the workings and the person7iel of 
the university, and had a good opportunity to learn 
his own strength, and that for which he had the 
strongest natural inclination. Among the lecturers 
to whom he thus casually found himself attracted was 
the philosopher Solger — a man who had been called 
to Berlin as a partial counterpoise to the Pantheism 
of Fichte, and whose sound and not anti-Christian 
philosophy proved a potent and beneficent factor in 
Rudolfs spiritual growth. 

An incident occurred in June, 1816, which had 
the effect of turning young Stier partially toward the 
sphere in which his great Hfe-work lay. His parents 
and other relatives were about to assemble at his 
clerical grandfather Langner s, in Fraustadt, in a 
general family reunion. Rudolf greatly desired to be 
present also. But he had not pocket-money enough 
to take the coach. As his longing increased, how- 
ever, with the nearer approach of the day, he at last 
boldly set out on foot and accomplished the over two 
hundred miles in good time, with no other damage 
than a few weeks of swollen feet. But the festivities 
were the least attraction of the occasion to Rudolf. 
In the gentle, pure, and warmly-believing spirit of 
the hoary-headed Langner he saw what seemed to 
him the ideal of manhood — a picture which gathered a 
brighter halo around itself the more he contemplated 
it. An uncle — Gerlach — also preaching in Frau- 
stadt, contributed to this impression. Under these 
influences a silent revolution was wrought in Rudolf. 



12 * Rudolf Stier. 

He formed the purpose of changing from the faculty 
of law to that of theology ; his real inner motives, 
however, were as yet quite vague and general. It 
was rather a yielding to an unconscious guidance of 
the Spirit, than an intelligent purpose of his own to 
give himself to God. 

Accordingly, after having overcome the obstinate 
scruples of his father, he had himself enrolled, Octo- 
ber 25, 1 8 16, in the theological faculty by the dean 
of the year — Neander. The first lectures which he 
now selected were : Schleiermacher on St. Luke, De 
Wette on Introduction to the Old Testament, Bockh 
on the History of Practical Philosophy, and Solger on 
Logic and Dialectics. Meantime, he went to work 
at making up his deficiency in Hebrew by private 
study, and succeeded very rapidly. In the summer 
semester following (18 17) he heard De Wette on 
the Psalms and the Synoptics, and Neander on 
Church History ; in the following winter, Marhei- 
neke on Dogmatics, Liicke on Iijitroduction to the New 
Testament, and Solger on the Elements of Philos- 
ophy. Of these professors he was attracted mostly by 
Solger and the enthusiastic Lutheran Marheineke. 
Neander he learned to esteem later. With Schleier- 
macher's method he seems to have been very little 
pleased. A fellow-student of Stier heard him at this 
period say: " I have given myself all possible pains 
to understand Schleiermacher, but all to no pur- 
pose. Finally, I came to think that he must be an 
atheist ; then the scales fell at once from my eyes, 
and from that moment on I saw atheism lurking in 
every one of his words." This utterance, however. 



Patriotic Gym7tastics, * 13 

which is hardly literally reported, should not be taken 
too seriously. It doubtless grew out of the fact that 
Schleiermacher was accustomed to base himself as 
little as possible on the authority of the revealed 
Word, and to construct his system of thought strictly 
a priori^ which seemed to young Stier to imply a dis- 
esteem of God's word. 

But while the pursuit of theology continued to 
occupy Stier in general, other collateral interests 
arose, and for the time being largely absorbed his 
attention. 

Chief among these disturbing interests were the 
subjects of physical culture {titrnkimst) and of the 
general student-union — the celebrated burschenschaft. 
The inspiring motive in both movements was un- 
questionably an ardent, but vague, patriotism. 

The central figure in the gymnastic or physical 
culture movement was an eccentric, half-inspired 
and half-crazy individual by the name of Jahn. This 
man had formerly been a preacher, but the ruthless 
oppression of his countrymen by Napoleon had 
rendered him almost frantic. He became possessed 
with an all-consuming zeal for the rescuing and re- 
generating of Germandom. The first essential step 
was, to dash off the fetters of the oppressor ; the 
second, to go back from effeminate Rationalism to 
the pure, manly Gospel of Father Luther. To accom- 
plish the first object it was necessary to regenerate 
the physical energies of the youth — to train up a race 
of young Herculeses. To this end Jahn revived and 
perfected a system of gymnastics, and breathed such 
an enthusiasm into their practice, that within a brief 



14 Rudolf Stier. 

period they spread like wild-fire over all Germany, 
and especially at the universities. Rut Jahn pursued 
the two objects in inseparable connection. He be- 
came an author and professor as well as gymnast. 
He regarded the physical vigor created by gymnastics 
as the only basis for a manly, chaste, heroic character 
which could be relied upon. His fiery zeal, his incisive 
Luther-diction, his utter devotion to the one generous 
end, were well adapted to draw around him all patri- 
otic young men. In 1813, he had headed a band of 
trained students against the French. After Waterloo, 
he preached his muscular Christianity with reani- 
mated enthusiasm. In 181 7, the gymnastic furor 
was at its acme. Old and young, learned and un- 
learned, yielded to the magic sway of the one-idead 
enchanter. The headquarters of the Jahn movement 
were at Berlin. 

Young Stier was soon involved in the general cur- 
rent, and became one of Jahn's most devoted dis- 
ciples. His own delicate body seemed to call for 
just such a hardening and toning-up as the gym- 
nastic drill so plausibly promised. As with every 
other cause which he espoused, he threw into it his 
whole soul. He at once discarded whatever smacked, 
in the least, of luxury. The traditional student-spec- 
tacles he dashed away. He endeavored to strengthen 
his eye-sight by gazing into the distance from a high 
tower. He- broke off from smoking, hard as the 
struggle was, and manfully persisted in it, despite 
his father, who took it very hard that he would not 
join him even in a single social pipe during vacation 
time. He accustomed himself to very light clothing, 



Patriotic Asceticism. 15 

and inured his body to the extremes of heat and cold. 
He passed a whole winter without fire in his room — 
though this feat loses something of the heroic from 
the fact that much of the day was passed in lecture- 
rooms and at his eating-house. He adopted the new 
patriotic German garb whereby the enthusiasts were 
recognized as far as they were seen — a short coat 
with a single row of buttons, without vest, shirt-collar 
turned down over the coat, the hair parted in the 
middle, and finally a peculiar little cap. 

Nor was Rudolf less captivated with Jahn's pre- 
tentious purism. He soon came to regard the old 
German of Luther as the pearl of all speech, and to 
look upon French as no better than an initiation to 
unchastity, and the ancient classics as hardly worthy 
of a true modern man's passing attention. 

The other interest which, for a while, distracted 
Stier from his life-work proper, was that of the 
burschenschaft. This movement was in many re- 
spects of the most praiseworthy character. It was 
the better spirits of young Germany, smarting under 
the humiliation to which the Napoleonic era had 
subjected the nation, and now desperately resolved 
to go to work and reform and ennoble, first, them- 
selves, and then, in after life, the collective nation, 
so as to render themselves worthy and capable of a 
better destiny. The excesses, the revolutionary dem- 
agogy, and even crimes, to which the movement 
afterward sank, were utterly foreign to its original 
spirit, although naturally to be expected from an 
enterprise of such magnitude undertaken by young 
enthusiasts for so va2:ue an end and with such va^uc 



i6 Rudolf Stier. 

conceptions of the proper means. Into the better 
tendency of the burschenschaft movement Stier en- 
tered with all the energy of personal conviction. 
Nothing appeared to him nobler than the effort to 
regenerate Germandom, to discredit and combat all 
modern effeminacy and corruption, and to revive the 
spirit and letter of the days of Doctor Luther. 

But his absorbing interest in this movement led 
him into errors and trouble. Professor Marheineke, 
a friend of the student movement, and an enthusiast 
for the Monk of Wittenberg, had declared in a lec- 
ture that it was offensive both to religion and to good 
taste to introduce Luther, as a character, on the 
stage. This, however, the bombastic, but then popu- 
lar, dramatist Werner had ventured to do. As one 
of his plays was announced for the royal theater in 
Berlin, the young patriots resolved to put a stop to 
the outrage. To this end they assembled in force 
in the theater, and so soon as the impersonator of 
Luther appeared, one of their ring-leaders cried out 
in a stentorian voice, " Off the stage with the Re- 
former ! " and such a storm of hisses, stampings, and 
hand-clappings, seconded the cry, that the actor had 
to withdraw and the curtain to fall. The police 
rushed in and arrested a few. But to no purpose ; 
so soon as the actor reappeared the same scene was 
renewed, until finally the representation was aban- 
doned. A royal order was soon after issued, forbid- 
ding the impersonation of Luther on the stage. 

During the examination of this breach of the peace 
before the university senate, Stier confessed himself 
one of the ring-leaders, and defended himself with 



Is Incarcerated, ly 

such warmth that the professors became very gently 
disposed toward the young disturbers. For the sake 
of form, however, they had to condemn them to 
twenty-four hours' incarceration. 

By this sentence Stier felt his honor so touched 
that he resolved to quit the university at the close ot 
the semester— at Easter, 1818. Luckily, Marheineke 
was the rector who had to give him his dismissal 
papers. This accounts for the non-mention of the 
theater disturbance in this document, and for the 
generous testimony, " that he had uniformly con- 
ducted himself well.'' 

In this case, as subsequently in many others, young 
Stier gave vent to his grievances through the press. 
This requires us to glance briefly at the earliest be- 
ginnings of his long and fruitful career of authorship. 
Already at Stolpe he had begun to make rhymes. 
His first printed poems appeared in the newspaper 
of his natal Fraustadt in 18 16. At Berlin he wrought 
upon an anibitious tragedy, ^* Dido " — never printed. 
A more important effort was called forth by the con- 
sequences of the burschenschaft celebration at the 
Wartburg (October, 18 17) of the three hundredth 
anniversary of the Reformation. Delegated students 
from all the schools of Germany had assembled upon 
this historic spot, and imbued themselves with re- 
doubled zeal for fatherland, religion, and liberty. 
During the closing festivities they indulged in an 
extemporized literary auto da fe in imitation of that 
of Luther at Wittenberg, and burned, amid inflam- 
matory speeches, some twenty-eight works of (as they 
deemed) unpatriotic authors. As some of these au- 



i8 Rudolf Stier. 

thors were high royal officials, the affair involved the 
burschenschaft in the disfavor of the governments — 
a disfavor which soon rapidly increased, and iilti- 
mated in the legal suppression of the whole organized 
burschenschaft movement. The unfavorable view of 
the Wartburg incidents which began to spread in 
society seemed to call for counteraction. This task 
Rudolf undertook, and appeared as author through 
the medium of an eloquent pamphlet : " A Frank 
Word/' etc.,* wherein much that was noble and 
praiseworthy was mingled with a great deal of soph- 
istry and youthful presumption — an effort which Stier 
much regretted in later years. 

While absorbed in this one great current of student 
patriotism, other and better forces exerted some 
slight influence upon his inner life. Occasionally he 
visited his much revered clerical grandfather in 
Fraustadt. The esthetical semi-religious influence 
of this venerable man's Church services upon him 
may be judged of from the following passage of a 
letter written from Fraustadt to a congenial cousin 
in Berlin : — *' I was yesterday at Church ! In Berlin 
you had better not go to Church ; but come over here, 
and you shall witness worship and religion in their 
true grandeur. O, what a man is this venerable 
pastor ! He has himself created every thing that is 
of value here, and he preserves it by the magic of his 
personal power. Another divine service like this you 
will hardly find in all Germany. Listen here to the 
indescribably beautiful Church music : the distant- 
sounding muffled instruments sending forth tones 

* Freies Wort Trotz Hetzern unci Fehmle7'n. 1818. 



Friendship with T ho luck. 19 

which trill and thrill so gently and sweetly through 
one's nerves that they seem like voices from a higher 
sphere ! listen to the soprano voices which resound 
and respond to each other from the most distant 
parts of the choir ; and then witness how suddenly 
the allegro of the heavenly hosts bursts out through 
organs and trumpets into a triumphant halleluia ! 
After having thus sat in silent amazement, then 
behold the venerable hoary-locked man ascend the 
very same pulpit from which he has preached fifty 
years ago ! Behold how his very countenance beams 
forth majesty and moral dignity, and then hear him 
speak out of the heart and to the heart — and not as 
Schleiermacher ! Surely you will exclaim : ' Rudolf, 
you have chosen a good portion ; hold fast to it, and 
joy to you !'" 

Another salutary influence flowed in upon Stier 
through the medium of certain friendships. Pro- 
fessor Solger contributed to moderate his fanatical 
zeal for fatherland. But he was helped still more 
effectually by young Tholuck, whom he had met in 
18 17. This young man, destined to such eminence 
in theology, had not yet given himself to religion, but 
was absorbed in the study of Oriental manuscripts. 
Rudolf warned him against forgetting fatherland in 
his idolization of the Orient, and the two soon dis- 
covered in each other a spiritual congeniality. '' The 
flowery isthmus which then united our spirits," wrote 
Tholuck in after years, " was Jean Paul, for whom we 
were both idolatrously enthusiastic, as also subse- 
quently for Fouque. Through Stier I first became 
acquainted with Jahn, whose rude bluntness, how- 



20 Rudolf Stier. 

ever, attracted me very little." Early in 1818 Tho- 
luck was brought to faith, and at the same time to 
theology ; and now he endeavored to win over Stier 
also. But in vain ; Stier s hour was not yet come ; 
moreover, a person of his intellectual independency 
could not thus yield to a mere outward personal influ- 
ence ; he needed first to go through an inner heart- 
experience for himself. This bitter heart-experience 
was destined to fall to his lot. But first we must 
follow him through another period of stormy student- 
life. 




CHAPTER III. 



STUDIES AT HALLE UNDER KNAPP, GESENIUS, AND 
WEGSCHEIDER. 

[1818.] 

J HE predominant interest in S tier's mind on 
quitting Berlin was still the burschenschaft 
movement. After a vacation spent among 
relatives, he repaired, in May, 1818, to Halle, not so 
much in order to study as to promote there his 
visionary patriotism. 

The corps of teachers then at Halle was poorly 
adapted to help a religiously hesitating young man 
to a truly Christian education and life. Chief in 
reputation stood the notorious Rationalists, Gesenius 
and Wegscheider. By their side stood the less re- 
nowned but orthodox Knapp and Weber. Maas and 
Gerlach were the principal philosophers. Weg- 
scheider, notwithstanding his thorough Rationalism, 
seemed sincere and earnest, and was respectful to- 
ward Christ and the Church. But Gesenius was a 
frivolous scoffer, and frequently violated good taste 
in his coarse sarcasms at sacred things. Knapp 
earnestly labored to counteract their hurtful influ- 
ence. The venerable Weber was not unsuccessful 
in showing up the fallacies of Rationalism. He fre- 
quently turned the laugh which Gesenius and others 



22 Rudolf Stier. 

loved to excite against orthodoxy and the Church, 
back upon the RationaUsts themselves. But he 
greatly enfeebled his influence by persisting in lect- 
uring in Latin. How defective a theological educa- 
tion would thus be obtained by hearing — as many 
did — Rationalistic Wegscheider from seven to eight 
o'clock, orthodox Knapp or Weber from eight to 
nine, and scoffing Gesenius from nine to ten, may 
well be imagined. In philosophy, Gerlach taught in 
the main a pretty sound eclecticism. Characteristic 
is the answer he gave to an inquiring student about 
to start for Berlin : "Philosophy is now pretty badly 
off there. For Schleiermacher is a mere dialectician 
and also somewhat of a mystic ; Hegel is a Schel- 
lingian nature-philosopher, and hence I could never 
be attracted to him ; and Solger is obscure. Make 
the trial for yourself; listen first to them all, and thus 
ascertain to whom you are attracted. Trust none of 
them implicitly, but consult in all cases your own 
immediate consciousness." 

On the whole, these men exerted no very positive 
influence on Rudolf Nobler objects than mere eru- 
dition were floating before his fertile imagination. 
A hearty co-operator in his burschenschaft efforts 
he soon found in a certain Schmidt, who had like- 
wise been infatuated by Jahn at Berlin. This indi- 
vidual was a splendid specimen of robust physical 
life, and added to this outward advantage the inner 
ones of a taste for music and an aptness in rhyme- 
making. Rudolf looked upon him as almost the ideal 
of what Jahn's gymnastics tended to make of all. 
The two were soon united in closest friendship — all 



Studies Romantic Literature, 23 

the more so as Schmidt's manly robustness formed 
a natural complement to Rudolfs almost feminine 
delicacy. To create a vigorous burschenschaft in- 
terest at Halle, to propagate the movement to other 
universities, to invigorate and indurate their bodies 
and souls by a rigid disciplining of the appetites, and 
by philosophical foot-journeys over the hills and to 
the historic shrines of the fatherland — such were now 
the master-purposes of Stier and Schmidt, and of all 
whom they could win over to their cause. It needs 
no stretch of the imagination to appreciate how rich 
a life was possible for young hearts under such cir- 
cumstances. Consciously imbued with a generous 
life-purpose, cheered on by a flattering hope, enjoy- 
ing without restraint the pleasure of personal initia- 
tive, free from the pains of physical vice — the aspir- 
ing and self-reliant youthful heart could hardly long 
for more. To this free scope which the young men 
here asserted for their faculties, is doubtless owing 
the almost excessive self-reliance and independency 
which characterized Stier in subsequent life. But 
Stier and Schmidt did not allow their outward ac- 
tivity to prevent the solid culture of their souls. 
They devoted much time to the united study of 
higher literature. Especially in the heroic poetry of 
Germany, in the Niebelungenlied, in Shakspeare, and 
in Jean Paul, were they deeply interested. Also the 
subject of religion was earnestly discussed ; and we 
find already, in this undecided transitional stage of 
Stier, the beginnings of that absolute implicitness 
of faith in God's Word which characterized his after- 
life. On one occasion, for example, the conversation 



24 Rudolf Stier. 

turning upon a Rationalistic book entitled Esoterica, 
which claimed to contain very deep religious truths 
suitable only for the learned classes, and which 
patronized Christ as a first-class sage, Stier uttered 
himself thus : '' I would be unfavorably impressed 
even by the title of a book which draws a sharp dis- 
tinction between the so-called people and the cultured 
class ; but when I see books abounding in such ex- 
pressions as * the mere man Jesus/ ' the sage of Naza- 
reth,' etc., I throw them aside at once ; I cannot con- 
ceive that books containing such outrageous expres- 
sions can have the least positive worth." 

Of occasions for trying Stier s moral courage, and 
for asserting sound views in the face of Rationalistic 
students, there was no lack. In a large company, 
once, the merits of Gesenius were the chief topic. 
After many laudations of his independence and im- 
partiality by certain ones, Stier and Schmidt pro- 
ceeded to show clearly from Gesenius' own books 
and words that he was, on the contrary, excessively 
partial and prejudiced whenever the history of Chris- 
tianity was concerned ; for he uniformly presented 
Christianity in the most unfavorable, and Antichris- 
tianity in the most favorable, light possible. The re- 
sult of this interview was to turn several of Gesenius' 
auditors to the orthodox professorts. 

Stier's judgment of Wegscheider was not much 
more favorable. Once he exclaimed : '' I wish my 
eyes had never fallen upon Wegscheider ; because of 
his unbelief, one should flee from him as from fire." 

After hearing a sermon by Professor Marks, in 
which much that was truly Christian was presented, 



Criticises a Professor. 25 

Stier tempered his estimation of it by the following 
qualifications: ''What least pleases me in Marks is, 
that he so entirely separates and isolates the virtues, 
just as if he were preaching morals after a text-book 
in ethics. He thus m.akes the impression that one 
might learn and practice one virtue after another, just 
as one learns a mere mechanical dexterity. There is 
in fact but one virtue, the one born of a living faith. 
No single virtue is ever extant ready made ; but 
every virtue must grow out of an inner struggle.'' 

Frequently the conversation fell upon philosophy. 
Solger, Stier continued lo honor. Of Hegel and 
Schelling he spoke with respect, especially of their 
services in giving a deeper and worthier form to 
logic. Common logic as then taught in Halle he re- 
garded as a mere doctrine of forms, hampering to the 
true thinker rather than helpful. As to metaphysics 
he honestly confessed : " My philosophical views are 
as yet in a state of mere formation, and will doubtless 
continue so in the future ; in theology, however, I 
think I have, in the main, attained to solid ground." 

But Rudolf was not satisfied with mere conversa- 
tion on high subjects ; he was also active with his 
pen. In fact, the using of the pen had become his 
passion, and it continued so throughout his life. . At 
the present period two of his youthful essays may be 
mentioned. A young friend of his— Agricola — whose 
father did not approve of the so-called German cos- 
tume, asked Rudolf to write in its favor a " philo- 
sophico-historico-moral apology." He did so, and so 
plausible a case did he make out that thereafter the 
whole Agricola family donned the German coat. An- 



26 Rudolf Stier. 

other production was composed in 1819, "The Ger- 
man Student-mirror/** the object of which was two- 
fold — to remove the popular prejudice against the 
burschenschaft movement, and to work purifyingly 
upon the movement itself. Though abounding in 
exaggerations and crudeness, this work yet contained 
many fine things. It was a syllabus of all the better 
aspirations of the entire student movement. 

The following sentiments, taken at random, show 
the general spirit of the work : '* It is high time that 
new Luthers arise to arouse us from pur sleep of death. 
Our science and life have fallen away from their vig- 
orous hold on the inner center, the salvation-star of 
the human heart — I mean faith in the God-man. Now 
or never is the time. Arise, fellow-students, let us 
begin the work ; let us keep our bodies and souls 
pure ; let us prepare ourselves for regenerating the 
people from pulpit and lecture-desk. Above all, let 
us keep ourselves chaste, and let us honor womankind. 
Honor is usually more talked of than sought after ; 
its most essential element is true self-respect, that is, 
the respecting of our better self, the regenerated and 
transformed Christian self. Without this inner worth 
all outward honor is a mere lying delusion." 

This eloquent and ambitious little work was, how- 
ever, never printed. It did its work by passing in 
manuscript from hand to hand. Perhaps Stier hesi- 
tated to involve himself by its publication in police 
persecutions, as in several portions of it he had 
spoken pretty audaciously of powers in high places. 

* Der deutsche Burschenspiegel, 





r-C. 



CHAPTER IV. 

Pauline's Dfath — A Winter at Halle— A 
Vacation at Stolpe. 

[1818—1819.] 

[^^J'E come now to a new phase in Rudolfs life. 
On the thirtieth of August he and Schmidt 
had started from Halle to Berlin. Two 
weeks later Schmidt wrote to a friend, that though 
Stier was in Berlin yet he could hardly catch sight 
of him. The fact is, Stier had been thrown into a 
state of the deepest inner commotion. With aH his 
open-heartedness there was one secret in his soul 
which he had kept sacred from his most intimate 
friends. Hitherto his fellow-students had looked 
upon him as utterly unimpressible by the fair sex. 
This was far from the case. On first coming to 
Berlin, in 1816, he had found a social home in a 
circle of distant relatives. Among these there was 
a fair and gentle girl, just blossoming over into 
young-womanhood — Pauli7ie. Consciously or un- 
consciously these young hearts soon became in- 
volved in each other. And the attachment was all 
the more poetic and romantic for having never come 
to verbal expression. Their personal separation — 
when Rudolf went to Halle — instead of weakening, 
tended rather to deepen and idealize, their relation 
Sadly enough, they were never to see each other 



28 Rudolf Stier. 

again. A brief sickness had carried Pauline to the 
grave two weeks before Rudolfs arrival at Berlin. It 
was only on her death-bed that she had disclosed to 
her parents her attachment to Rudolf. Doubtless, a 
letter to Halle had miscarried, so that he heard of 
her death only on his arrival. The shock was a ter- 
rible one to him. The outlook into the future 
world, where his dearest treasure now was, became 
at once such a palpable reality that every thing 
earthly seemed eclipsed and worthless. It was long 
before he found the least consolation. Luckily, a 
painter who well knew Pauline had succeeded in 
producing from mere memory a very life-like por- 
trait of her. This her parents kindly gave to 
Rudolf; and from thenceforth he never parted 
with* it. 

The death of Pauline forms an epoch in Stier's 
life. One is involuntarily reminded by it of the in- 
fluence of Beatrice on Dante. It was the means of 
Providence for awakening Rudolf out of his merely 
cosmic life, and for breaking to his heart a path for 
grace. It was only after weeks of desolation that 
he was so far composed as to write of his grief to 
his more intimate friends. The following heart- 
disclosure to young Tholuck, written some months 
after Pauline's death, deserves a place here, because 
of the light it throws upon his spiritual state. It 
reads : 

" Halle, Nov. 11, 1818. 
. . . "The greatest earthly misfortune has be- 
fallen me. Pauline — a child pious and pure as an 
angel^ — (even Schleiermacher raised his voice in 



Paulines Death, 29 

praise at her grave) — a child to whom I clung as I 
now cling to Christ, has died ! ! I was far away ; 
and when I arrived, her grave was already green. 
Comprehend now, if you can, my wonderful transfor- 
mation ; comprehend if you can how my entire un- 
believing, science-seeking, and hollow life- course — 
how all my past years of blind striving and of 
clinging to the love of an earthly creature — how the 
result of all my foolishly and presumptuously hoping 
and plan-making years — found a terrible and chilling 
shipwreck at the grave of my earthly happiness, and 
gave suddenly place to one all-absorbing, weeping 
gaze from the earthly grave up toward heaven, to 
Him who is the resurrection and the life! 

" Blessed be Almighty God that he sent me the 
Spirit of his Son at the very moment when my per- 
sonal ego had been tried to its utmost, and when, 
had it been left to itself without God, it would have 
had to sink! As truly as I live, and now for the 
first really live, I have made the radical experience 
that we all may have eternal life in the One who 
gives life to us from without. I have clearly and 
distinctly perceived, through a sense w^hich is now 
just freshly opened within me, that there lives with- 
out us One who can come into us in an incompre- 
hensible manner, and that the natural man, with all 
his planning and striving, is of himself like a blind 
man without guide. For He is the light of the 
world. 

" Remember also that at the time when this took 
place in my heart, or rather was 3^et, in dim twilight, 
struggling to take place, but could not fully break 



30 Rudolf Stier. 

loose from the corrupt old Adam — at the time when 
all my thoughts and feelings were simply one fervent 
infinite penitence-prayer to heaven: 'Father, give 
me thy Spirit ! let me overcome in this struggle ! 
and let life spring forth out of death ! ' — that at this 
time I had to live exclusively within myself, and to 
withdraw myself into my innermost soul, away from 
every thing which was not myself; for the interest 
at hazard was the salvation of my very being ! 

" I have passed a crisis in Berlin which is infinite 
in its significance for me. But the work had to 
grow up strictly out of myself; even your own (assur- 
edly hearty and affectionate) words would have been 
an unwelcome intrusion upon me from without. I 
might, indeed, have gone to others, because their 
looks, and words, and actions, would only have 
played upon the surface, and I might then have 
mechanically moved hither and thither in the outer 
forms of life, without in the least stirring the deep 
floods of my inner being. But you — you are not to 
me of that class of persons ; if I had come to you I 
would have had to speak of that which was to me 
my only and my all, — and precisely that I desired 
not, and dared not, to do. Pardon me, now, that I 
have hitherto not entirely understood you, and that 
I have frequently opposed you, in a way that I should 
not have done. As for my promise, as soon as I come 
to Berlin I shall visit you. 

" That it has become so peaceful, so calm in your 
own soul, and that you have found a Friend, has 
really also made me quieter and calmer since I read 
of it. We are now trulv at one in the Lord — in the 



I 



Spiritttal Awakening. 31 

innermost, deepest ground of faith ; and no human 
formula nor earthly reasoning on things of the earth 
shall henceforth separate us ! In fact, I have never 
designed to let any thing separate us. My ordinary 
home-made understanding seems, indeed, to have re- 
ceived some shocks, and there are moments when I 
am really tempted to believe that I am crazy ; these 
are, however, but temptations of the devil ; and I 
know, after all, that I am now in the right way, and 
that in fact all the others are crazy who do not think 
so. It is true I cannot at all yet say that I have 
found whereon I can rest ; but I am seeking with 
fervent prayer and in humility. Humility I have 
just recently learned to comprehend from Thomas 
a Kempis. / knozv that mere feeling is not an ele- 
ment of faith, but has its ground in the body, and is 
an accident of our frail materiality — one which we 
shall lay off with the body. I seek, therefore, after a 
^vvcifaithy a faith that is identical with true and real 
knowledge, and which will remain to me forever as 
the seal of the covenant, and of which I shall be 
able to speak before the world in living words. 
Such is my aim, such is my prayer to God. For 
only he can give it to me, and without him all my 
anxiety and striving are empty and fruitless. This 
much I feel now — that a man must, to a certain ex- 
tent, be dead to himself before he can live and work 
for society. 

'' The Lord be with you ! And now, mark, if I 
ever again fall back to the world, then confront me 
on high, with this letter, before the judgment-seat 
of God. Rudolf Stier." 



32 Rudolf Stier. 

Clear and decided as this letter reads, it yet cost 
him severe and protracted inner struggles before he 
so thoroughly broke off from the past and from all 
that had been dear to him in it, as he p.fterwards re- 
garded as his indispensable duty. On the 12th of 
October he was again in Halle. When his former 
comrades reminded him of previous plans for jour- 
neys and studies, he felt as if suddenly thrown back 
into another world. It could not escape his friends, 
on witnessing his serious melancholy, his solitary 
moonlight rambles, and other changes in him, that 
something important had transpired in his life. 
Pretty soon, however, he seemed again to take his 
old interest in the burschenschaft aspirations. This 
is the more easily explained as the next burschen- 
schaft celebration of the anniversary of the Refor- 
mation (to be held at Jena) was now approaching, 
and promised to be a fruitful occasion. Stier and 
Schmidt were promptly present. The part taken 
in it by Stier was simply that of a thoughtful spec- 
tator. Delegates from fourteen universities arrived. 
Not a few grave professors (among them Fries and 
Oken) mingled among the students, and counte- 
nanced the movement. The proceedings on the 
chief day (October 18, 18 18) embraced, besides the 
usual formalities, the hearing of a patriotic sermon 
by Dr. Schott, the participating in a public dinner, 
the indulging in a grand gymnastic exhibition, and 
the enacting of rules for the better promotion of 
their patriotic work in the future. 

Both before and after this anniversary Stier felt 
sanguine of realizing in Halle the brightest hopes 



Whimsicality. 33 

of the student movement. But a salutary disen- 
chantment soon fell to his lot. Inner dissensions 
and wrangles soon sprang up. The better-minded 
were for doing away with dueling ; the majority 
w^ere opposed to this. Violent collisions of some of 
the ruder ones with citizens, and other kindred inci- 
dents> determined the Halle faculty to order the dis- 
solution of the burschenschaft organization. This 
the members, after solemn and sad deliberation, con- 
sented to do. They assembled for the last time, 
February 28, 18 19, and then dispersed with heavy 
hearts — not, however, until after pledging each other 
still to pursue, in an individual way, the same high 
purposes. 

We now approach the time of Stier's departure 
from Halle. As to what lectures he regularly heard 
in the winter semester^ 18 18-19, is not known. In 
any case they were a far less efficient factor in his 
culture than his own private studies. This study 
lay r^ostly in the direction of Belles-lettres. The 
sage of Baireuth (Jean Paul) was still his favorite 
entertainer in modern German. His earlier fond- 
ness for the Doric terseness of Jahn was not, how- 
ever, fully overcome by the extravagant romanticism 
of Jean Paul. Also he continued to study Shaks- 
peare — this time with Reniiecke, a young Halle 
friend with whom, he remained on intimate terms 
throughout life. 

At this period Rudolf appeared to his friends very 
whimsical and moody. At times the very imper- 
sonation of grim satire, at others he was excessively 
hilarious — laughing most heartily of all at his own 



34 Rudolf Stier. 

follies. At other times he was extremely unhappy, 
and disposed to apply to himself the words : " The 
May of life blooms once, but never again ; for me its 
bloom is past ! " In vain his comrades endeavored 
to cheer him up. His only response was, wistfully 
to gaze away into the dusky clouds, and to exclaim 
with a sigh : " Would that it were fair weather within 
and without ! would that I were well ! " And when, 
in view of his seeming good health, they asked him : 
'' Do you speak of health of body or of soul } " his 
answer was : '' Of both ; for the one is rarely found 
without the other." The fact is, his moodishness 
and seeming changeableness were simply the surface- 
manifestations and partial mask of the great inner 
struggle that was still racking his soul, and that 
was all the more severe as he had a clear con- 
viction of where true peace was alone to be 
found, and yet could not fully resolve definitively 
to break away from the cosmic life. The following 
sentiment, written in the album of a young astrono- 
mer, is not uncharacteristic of his present state of 
mind : 

" ' The sigh of longing desire is the sole fructifying 
aura se^ninalis for the Orpheus-egg of the sciences. 

" ' Jeax Paul/ 

*' Only have the 7nght longing, dear L., and you 
shall yet assuredly discover new comets, demon- 
strate the nature of light, calculate the diameter of the 
galaxy, tabulate all existing nebulae, and finally enter 
into a life where you shall be able to gaze at, and 
to contemplate, the dear Lord's dear heavens with 



Crocodile-eggs. 35 

a thousand senses, instead of with your present 
poor five. " Rudolf Stier, of Fraustadt." 

'* Halle, March, i8ig." 

Another Httle incident before Stier left Halle : 
The warm weather began to awaken in tlie students 
a desire for open-air exercise, and reminded them of 
the partial promise of the provincial authorities to 
prepare and furnish gymnastic grounds for the uni- 
versity of Halle, such as existed at several other 
schools. Stier and Schmidt drew up a petition, col- 
lected signatures, and went to Merseburg and pre- 
sented it. Hardly had . they returned with the most 
encouraging promises, when the post arrived with 
the bewildering news of the assassination of the re- 
actionary Kotzebue, (March 23, 18 19,) by the fa- 
natical burschenschafter Sand, in the delusive hope 
of thus promoting the liberty of his country. This 
climax of the folly of the less sober of the burschen- 
schafters furnished the Government with the desired 
pretext for repression ; and it was used. Instead of 
the hoped-for new gymnastic grounds, those that 
already existed were speedily closed. 

Before resuming Stier s personal history, we will 
here mention the most important of his youthful at- 
tempts in literature— we mean his " Ninety Crocodile- 
eggs,"* which appeared at Berlin in October, 18 18. 
The little book created quite a stir. Rudolf had sent 
it in manuscript to Jean Paul, who was well pleased 
with it, and advised him to its publication. The title 
he gave it was not a mere catchpublic phrase. " Croc- 

* " Ncunzig Krokodileier^' etc. 

4 



36 Rudolf Stier. 

odile-eggs/' in the sense of this little book, are concen- 
trated germ-thoughts which, on being incubated by 
the warm Egyptian sun of generous thought, develop 
into potent life-forces and master-pieces of art. The 
rhetorical form of the book is decidedly miscellaneous. 
It consists of irregular and rather nervous thought- 
gushes upon a whole cycle of subjects, real and im- 
aginary, — on God's existence and man's immortality, 
on philosophers and the devil, on wedlock and the 
fine arts, on Luther's nose and mnemonics, on ginger- 
bread and sentimentality, on the physiognomical 
beauty of women and the regeneration of history, and 
on other kindred subjects. As a whole the book was 
quite Jean-Paulish in style— rapid, irregular, and full 
of wild fancy flights. With many ingenious and truly 
Christian sentiments, it yet contained many things 
of questionable and unhealthy tendency. The fact 
that he unhesitatingly published both kinds of thoughts 
side by side is another evidence of the present moral 
dualism of his inner nature. He was, as yet, still 
wrestling with the dying darkness and the twilight 
dawning of an incipient Christian regeneration. 

On leaving Halle, Stier made a short visit at Berlin, 
and then repaired to his parents at Stolpe. Here he 
might, by private study, have prepared himself to 
pass the university examination, and thus become a 
candidate for position in the state-church. But he 
preferred otherwise. He spent his time partly in 
study, but mostly in poetizing with his former school- 
mate, Waldow. The family had so multiplied during 
his absence that there was now scarcely room for him 
in it Accordingly he hired and furnished a little 



Radicalism, 37 

study in a neighboring street. Here he and Waldow 
spent many a profitable day-dreaming hour and day. 
The influence of Waldow upon him was very effect- 
ual in raising him out of that morbid melancholy in 
which he had been lingering ever since the death of 
Pauline. 

In his father's family Rudolf felt very little at home. 
His own heart had been warmed in the national capi- 
tal by the rising sun of a young, idealized fatherland 
of liberty and progress ; his father's whole nature had, 
on the contrary, been contracted and conservatized 
by the close atmosphere of mere provincial official 
routine. Hence their earlier difference of tendency 
had now ripened into a radical uncongeniality. Their 
social tastes had almost nothing in common. Former 
scenes renewed themselves. Once while the father 
was flattering himself with having carried Rudolf off 
into a ball almost by storm, he was suddenly chagrined 
to find that the latter had vanished from the com- 
pany. Scouts, sent out in search of him, finally 
brought report that after much pains they had found 
him, pacing up and down in a distant alley, reading a 
book by moonlight. But the greatest source of dis- 
cord was politics. It was a bitter pill for the father, 
who had hoped so much for the State from Rudolfs 
talents, to see him not only turn aside to the prosaic 
field of theology, but, worse yet, to involve himself in 
the follies of the most absurd, and, as seemed to him, 
unpatriotic demagogism. The old-fashioned Prussian 
officer had learned from his little provincial journal 
nothing but evil of the burschenschaft movement. 
The young political reformer could not avoid blaming 



38 Rudolf Stier. 

the Government for its over-hasty measures of repres- 
sion against it. Painful letters had already passed 
between them on the subject. And personal discus- 
sions of the matter now brought them no nearer to 
harmonious views. In the whole course of this affair 
one can but admire Rudolfs uprightness of conduct. 
Though quite conciliatory in his bearing, he yet would 
not, and did not, buy harmony at the expense of 
earnest conviction. Some months later, however, 
when again separated from his parents, he reproached 
himself for the pain he had given to them, especially 
to his mother. '' I often think," wrote he to a friend, 
'^ that I was more at fault than they. I would like to 
have the summer again, that I might demean myself 
differently." 

Into this sojourn at Stolpe falls the preparation of 
a volume of " Tales and Dreams," * which was after- 
ward published. It consisted of light pass-time effu- 
sions of unequal worth, and little prized by Rudolf 
himself " I hope," said he in his preface, " that it 
will prove my first and last effort of the kind." 

Luckily for Stier, in the general uncongeniality of 
Stolpe society for him there was one person — the 
Reformed preacher Metger, Schleiermacher's succes- 
sor in Stolpe — who could appreciate him, and from 
whom he received the happiest and healthiest relig- 
ious furtherance. Metger was not only a sound 
Christian, but also an erudite theologian and philos- 
opher. He was then engaged upon a work, " Plato 
and Spinoza in their Relation to Christianity," which 
gave occasion to much profitable conversation with 

* Mahren tmd Traume. 



Incipie7tt Conversion. 39 

Rudolf. He was always happy to receive the young 
man into his study, and often took long walks with 
him, discussing the deep problems of human life and 
destiny. In subsequent years, Stier uniformly dated 
the beginning of his actual conversion from the spir- 
itual stimulation received from Metger. Although 
of the Reformed Church, this divine did not exert 
any biasing influence upon Stier s Lutheran convic- 
tions ; for he was of the utmost liberality, and esteemed 
Luther even above Calvin. At a later date he wrote 
to Rudolf: "Next to the Bible, no writer can better 
lead to a joyous faith than Luther. I know no one 
in whom the Holy Ghost has so individualized itself 
as in Luther ; in other illuminated men it speaks 
biblically, but in Luther, Lutherish." 

As to Stier's actual studies during this summer in 
Stolpe, they consisted mostly in reviewing and digest- 
ing the notes of the lectures he had heard in Berlin 
and Halle, and in making synopses of printed works. 
An extensive manuscript, here wrought upon, bears 
the title : " Qui bene latuit, bene vixit : A Christian 
Miscellany,'' and has as its motto Melanchthon's Latin 
prayer : — 

** Fac ut possim demonstrare, 
Quam sit dulce te amare, 
Tecum pati, tecum flere, 
Tecum semper congaudere." * 

When the summer was nearly at its close, Rudolf's 
father received a call to a good official position in ex- 

* Literally : Cause that I may be able to show how sweet it is to 
love Thee, to suffer with Thee, to weep with Thee, and with Thee 
always to rejoice. 



40 Rudolf Stier. 

treme north-eastern Prussia, at Gumbinnen in Lithu- 
ania. It seemed undesirable to Rudolf to journey to 
this distant place with the family. He therefore de- 
termined to repair to Berlin in order to resume the 
the study of theology. In making this decision he 
had to rely for his support on giving private instruc- 
tion ; for upon further help from his father he was 
unwilling longer to make claim. 



CHAPTER V. 

STUDIES AGAIN AT BERLIN CONVERSION. 

[October, 1819, to April, 1821.] 



[5) Y the middle of October, 1819, Rudolf was again 



?=S< in the capital, and domiciled in a little attic 



room in the house of a distant relative. He 
renewed his theological studies with great zest, hear- 
ing the lectures of Marheineke, Schleiermacher, and 
De Wette. With Solger he was prevented from re- 
newing the old intimacy, as this esteemed teacher 
died soon after his arrival. Young members of the 
burschenschaft, wearing the German garb, bore him 
to the grave, where Schleiermacher pronounced an 
eulogium, showing with deep emotion "how the de- 
ceased has taught us to die." 

Rudolf was hindered from attending the funeral 
by the duties of a subordinate position in a private 
school, where he had engaged to teach three hours a 
day. His work here was instruction in the mere 
elements of Latin, German, etc. ; and yet he seems 
to have enjoyed it, as appears from the following 
words, written to Waldow : 

"' With my schoolmastering it goes pretty well. 
The lads even begin to furnish me amusement. But 
the indispensably necessary hypocrisy which I had 
to put on was quite difficult for me : at first, it was 
almost impossible for me to look cross when I was 



42 Rudolf Stier. 

not really so. This or that little fellow would look 
up to me so frankly and honestly, and would mani- 
fest a liking to almost any thing reasonable, rather 
than just at that time to the rule : Panis, piscis, crinis, 
finis, or to the chief mountain ranges of Spain. And 
in this he was positively right. And yet I dared not 
betray my opinion, and so he had to sit there and 
sweat it out. Poor cubs ! at any rate, I make it as 
light for them as my conscience will let me." 

But he was soon compelled to give up this position, 
as so much continued talking occasioned coughing 
and lung-pains. Luckily he was not entirely without 
resources. The publisher of his " Tales and Dreams " 
furnished him a slight income, and had him dine with 
him twice a week. He also dined four or five times 
a week with relatives and friends, where he helped 
the young folks in Latin. For poetizing, in Berlin, 
he found little opportunity. An ambitious epic, 
" Winnold," which he had wrought upon at Stolpe, 
he now sealed up for an indefinite period, "to the 
great profit," as he expressed it, " of sacred theology, 
of my dear parents, and especially of myself" 

His general mood at this time was rather depressed. 
He made the old experience, that until man has solid 
peace in his breast, he is better pleased with the 
vanished past and the dreamed-of future than with 
the real present, as appears from the following words 
to Waldow : 

" Memory instead of giving me joy, here in Berlin, 
gives me, as you may readily imagine, only bitter tor- 
ment ; I hardly go to the beloved Stier family at 
all, etc. What attracted me to Pauline and united 



De Profundis, 43 

me with her was not as yet love — to that we had 
neither of us as yet awoke, — but it would very soon 
have inevitably become love. It was only through 
Pauline's death that the sense for love arose in me ; 
and now I stand here with glowing, languishing, un- 
utterably full soul, and am alone! Pauline I desire 
not back ; God preserve me from such selfishness ! 
she is happier, yonder on high, than any of us ; and 
who knows how many angels vv^aited to welcome her ! 
But what am I to do, here on earth, with my unsatis- 
fied, ever-increasing longing after a heart upon which 
I can weep and shout my whole life away ? It is 
wrong that I feel so ; I ought to suffer and hope in 
silence, and find in my Saviour, and in his love, love 
enough ; but I am as I am. If I do not find a second 
Pauline, if the good Lord does not give me love again, 
a happy love such as alone can sustain and cheer me, 
then I perish^ with all my powers and purposes, either 
in sin, or, what would be better, in death ! But enough 
of sorrows ! unite your prayer with mine that the 
Lord may give me comfort and patience, and strength 
and endurance, in order that, with a few years of tire- 
less industry and book-life, I may be enabled to cover 
over, or lull asleep, or wear away, the wounds that 
now cry aloud in my poor saddened heart. That I 
may now do this is my firm purpose." 

Fourteen days later he wrote again to Waldow 
under an ink-drawn grave-stone : " It is only there 
that true peace and rest are to be found ! But he 
who, after having labored only a little while, de- 
sires to sneak to bed at noon-day, is faint-hearted 
and worthless. One must first have labored the 



44 Rudolf Stier. 

whole day through, and then sleep will be all the 
sweeter/' 

Some weeks later still, while engaged upon a series 
of aphorisms and brief meditations entitled " Paradise 
Apples,"* wherein he endeavored to give expression 
to the soul-ferment within him, he wrote : 

" I am doing nothing now but hoping and expect- 
ing. What else can a poor mortal do ? But I have 
just passed a whole week during vv^hich, though I 
was daily expecting, namely, my demise, yet I had no 
longer any hope — save for the realization on high of 
what I had hoped for on earth. The fruit of this near 
view of death has now become a Paradise-apple. The 
fact is man cannot adduce a single rational reason 
why he should not be willing to die at any given 
moment (other than the one which I had myself, 
namely, my parents and their expectations of me). . . . 
The death-viQ'N is the only true /^^-view. It is only 
from the stand-point of death that one really compre- 
hends life — even as one fully conceives the idea of a 
journey only when one transfers one's self in thought 
to its termination." 

But Rudolf was not wholly absorbed in such seri- 
ous reflections. The illiberal politics of the govern- 
ment — the strict censorship of the press, the closing 
of the gymnastic grounds, the imprisonment of Jahn, 
the arrest of suspected students — gave him great dis- 
pleasure and awoke in him rebellious feelings. He 
actively took part with patriotic students in uproarious 
torchlight processions, song-singings, etc., in expres- 
sion of their disgust at the bureaucratic reactionism 

* Pai^adiesapfel, 



Disenchantment. 45 

of the authorities. He took also active part in the 
presentation of a complimentary silver-service to Pro- 
fessor De Wette on occasion of his dismissal by Gov- 
ernment because of liberal sentiments. 

But Stier s present association with his old bur- 
schenschaft friends — now that his religious convic- 
tions had, under Metger's influence, grown so much 
deeper and riper- — led to a seemingly radical change 
of view. And yet this change related more to the 
manner of procedure than to the inner purpose of 
the burschenschaft movement itself While disap- 
proving of the noisy outward demonstrations of the 
young patriots, he still held fast to the inner patriotic 
purpose, as appears from the following words, written 
in January, 1820 : 

" There are now very many young persons of whom 
it is said, they wish to ameliorate Germany. My 
opinion is, the young gentlemen had all better keep 
quite still, and go to work humbly and quietly, pre- 
paring themselves for the work without troubling the 
world so long beforehand by trumpeting aloud their 
great designs. This is the course I am now taking. 
If all my brothers had done the same, this great noise 
throughout Germany would have been avoided ; and 
then, after a few years of preparation, we could have 
all gone quietly to work as earnest meUy and, each in 
his place, accomplish the task assigned to him by 
Providence." 

This change of view in Stier alienated some of his 
old friends, but gained for him other better ones in 
their stead. The emphasis with which he expressed 
his convictions had a fine moral effect upon not a few. 



46 Rudolf Stier. 

A theologian now in high position recently said : " I 
was not intimate with Stier, but I am still to-day 
conscious of a potent influence which he exerted 
upon me, (as certainly upon many others.) The in- 
dependence of view and judgment which he asserted, 
in the face of prevailing tendencies and of persons in 
high places, encouraged us younger students, and 
helped us to independence of character also." 

But the disapproval of Stier's course by many stu- 
dents did not prevent his free participation in their 
gatherings. He frequently engaged in their debates, 
and defended his convictions against all foes of what- 
ever school. And when the inquisitorial persecutions 
of the government descended to the lowest abase- 
ment — to the forbidding of gymnastics throughout 
Prussia, to the breaking open and taking transcripts 
of private letters, and the like — he gave vent to his 
shame for his country in a number of biting satires, 
some of which were circulated by the press. 

As to his private reading at this period there is 
evidence that it was very extensive. It is certain that 
Thomas a Kempis exerted upon him a deep influence. 
The general tendency of his reading, however, was to 
bring him nearer and nearer to the almost exclusive 
study of the Scriptures. 

About this period Stier's life fell under a fresh and 
very potent religious influence. Many things concur- 
red to awaken a revival of evangelical Christianity in 
Germany from and after the year 18 17. Rationalism 
had ceased to be novel, and could no longer satisfy 
the hearts of the people. The three hundredth an- 
niversary of the Reformation awoke something of the 






Mysticism. 47 



spirit of the first Reformation. The iUiberal policy 
of the government forced many disappointed hearts 
to seek consolation for their chagrin in a vital Chris- 
tianity. Pastors who preached the pure Gospel were 
no longer such rarities. And wherever they preached, 
there little circles of true believers were formed. It 
was the beginning of that gentle but real revival of 
true Christianity which has — feebly indeed, but stead- 
ily — continued up to the present day. Into the 
sphere of this religious current young Stier was very 
naturally attracted. It was precisely what he needed 
for the cure of his long-continued melancholy, which 
had finally begun seriously to undermine his health. 

In looking about for help, however, he came near 
running into danger. Having no spiritual guide like 
Metger, he concluded, at least, to seek a physician for 
his body. Strangely enough he was directed to one 
Dr. Breyer, a man who was not only an excellent 
physician, but who was also the active propagator of 
highly mystical religious views. He had gathered 
around him a group of ardent sympathizers, to whom 
at stated times he expounded the doctrines of Bohme 
and other mystics. On meeting Stier he at once rec- 
ognized the spiritual roots of his ailment, and invited 
him to be present at his religious conferences. From 
these mystical meetings, dangerous as were many 
of the views taught, Stier received considerable 
help. 

About the same time he found also entrance into a 
healthier and far more helpful spiritual circle — that 
of the well-known Baron von Kottwitz. It will be 
necessary to say a word or two here of the peculiar- 



48 Rudolf Stier. 

ities of this remarkable worker in the kingdom of 
God. 

Born of a noble family in Silesia in 1757, Kottwitz 
had served as a page at the court of Frederick the 
Great, and witnessed and experienced nearly all the 
phases of human life. Manifold saddening incidents 
in his early manhood had finally led him, throusfh " 
varied errors and cross-w^ays, to seek rest in the 
Redeemer and to devote his powers to what now 
seemed to him the noblest of all life-purposes — to 
be a helping father to the needy and distressed. 
And he proved not only a kind helper to the bodily 
distressed, but also a skillful guide for the spiritually 
diseased. For he had been led, through personal ex- 
perience, to feel deeply the natural emptiness of the 
human heart ; and the peace and bliss which he had 
found in Christ seemed all the richer and more potent 
because of the depths of the distress from which he 
had risen. At the time we here meet him, he was 
administering a benevolent institution for the poor 
which the king had confided to his discretion. Into 
this institution he had breathed the spirit of a higher 
sphere. Its chapel had become a fane wherein the 
sacred fire glowed with exceptional intensity. The 
sowees which he frequently held proved pentecostal 
epochs in the lives of many w^ho had the happiness 
to enjoy them. They were composed of congenial 
spirits of rare culture or great promise — lords and 
ladies, theologians and jurists, high mihtary officers 
and poor students. The soirees usually opened with 
a brief ser\dce or Bible-exposition in the chapel, held 
sometimes by an invited pastor or theologian ; after 



Father Kottwitz, 49 

which the guests repaired to the salon, partook of a 
cup of tea, and theu engaged in social intercourse, 
mostly in little groups of two and two. The baron 
did not thrust himself into prominence, but his 
spirit pervaded and rested upon the whole company. 
All knew what spirit he was of, and from what motive 
he had invited them, and they gladly yielded them- 
selves to the inspiration of his presence. He him- 
self seemed hardly more than a guest, like the others. 
But the hearty, simple words which he dropped as he 
passed from group to group, or even the warm press 
of the hand, or the significant smile, went deep to the 
heart, and proved, to many, a life-long inspiration. 

A young lady, whose acquaintance we shall here- 
after make, as the bride of Rudolf, wrote as follows 
of one of these soirees which she attended in 1821 : 

" I spent an evening once in a company at the 
Baron's. I found there many dear persons whom I 
already knew, and I became acquainted with many 
others. There was a prayer-meeting in the institu- 
tion ; this, Father Kottwitz usually holds himself, 
though he sometimes endeavors to obtain the help 
of a like-minded preacher. These meetings are a 
sort of festival to which he gives special invitations. 
This one was held by Anders, the preacher of the 
Moravian Brethren. After worship we all went into 
the Baron s private rooms and drank a cup of tea 
with him. A few of the sisters always attend to this 
work, as the dear Baron, since the loss of his only 
daughter, is without a hostess. This time I did the 
service, with the help of Caroline F., to whom I con- 
ceived a strong friendship. I cannot express what 



50 Rudolf Stier. 

I felt that evening. Though one does not talk over- 
much, the spirit which pervades the whole circle 
quickens, refreshes, nurtures, and penetrates the 
soul. Each knows of every other one — of what spirit 
he is. No stress is laid upon external things ; out- 
wardly every thing is common and ordinary, and yet 
how richly different it is in the inner life. My heart 
leaped up within me, and I could ever exclaim, ' It 
is good to be here.' " 

Into this charming and hallowed circle, which was 
then so happily affecting the religious life of the cap- 
ital, young Stier was now not only admitted, but 
even welcomed as a brother. For thus was every 
one treated who could honestly answer affirmatively 
the direct question, *' Dost thou love the Lord 
Jesus ? " It was all the easier for Rudolf to grow 
at home in this circle as he met there persons — such 
as Tholuck — with whom, and with whose inner life, 
he was already somewhat acquainted. Nevertheless 
at first he felt rather ill at ease, for he became 
conscious of the presence of a Spirit' with which his 
own heart was not yet fully in harmony. Doubtless 
he experienced rather queer feelings as the Baron, 
one evening, presented him to a group of elderly 
persons, at the same time laying his fatherly hand 
upon his head, and saying: ''In this young believer 
the Lord has rescued from Satan's clutches an author 
who is now and henceforth going to serve Him with 
his gifts." Rudolf could not at first comprehend 
that in all that which he had thus far written, and 
in which he had produced the noblest and best sen- 
timents he then had possessed, he had only been 



Janicke — Neander. 5 r 

serving Satan. On subsequent reflection, however, 
he recognized the dangers to which the continuation 
of his satirical and humorous manner of writing 
would naturally have exposed him. 

The spiritual affinities formed in the soirees of 
Kottwitz led to happy and profitable associations in 
the outer world. Thus Stier w^as led to hear the ser- 
mons of the aged and sainted Janicke at the Bethle- 
hem Church, whose joyous faith, fervent prayers, 
and child-like simplicity very deeply impressed him. 
After the sermon here he frequently met in some 
little room with three or four like-minded students, 
and talked over with them his experience, or read 
the Scriptures or sang sacred songs. The religious 
current was so general and deep-flowing that rank 
3.nd position were often lost sight of. Noblemen 
and artisans, attracted by a common Saviour, drew 
near to each other, and mutually edified one another 
in private prayer-meetings. Even the hut of a poor 
mechanic — one Stuhr, who was almost blind and 
deaf, but who was deeply versed in the Scriptures, 
and rich in Christian experience — was abundantly 
resorted to by high and low, to their great spiritual 
profit. Also Stier owed much to Stuhr, and for 
many years kept a little portrait of the dear old man 
hanging over his bed. 

Under the impulse of this high religious life, Stier 
devoted himself with still greater zeal to his theolog- 
ical studies. His preferred teachers were now Mar- 
heineke and Neander. The genial, warmly Christian 
spirit of the latter attracted him very potently. An 
extensive correspondence with his old friend Ren- 



52 Rudolf Stier. 

necke lays open his heart-history at this period with 
anatomic minuteness. This young theologian had 
betrayed an impatient desire to go to work at re- 
forming the Church and the world. Stier replied to 
him warmly and emphatically that that was not the 
first thing to attend to. "Dear brother/' said he, 
" let us not trouble ourselves about reforming others 
until we have first reformed ourselves ; and in this 
enterprise we have certainly enough to do for the 
present." While Rennecke was attracted to specu- 
lative theology, Stier grew daily more fond of the 
simple word of God. He declared to Rennecke that 
he thanked God for showing him more thoroughly 
every day how great a sinner he was — that to sin- 
ners there is no lack of rich promises — that he was 
learning constantly to believe these wdth a livelier , 
and firmer faith, and that therefore he was studying 
the Scriptures with thorough earnestness, and that 
finally he recommended them also to him as the 
only fountain of truly Divine wisdom. 

The desire to devote himself more exclusively to 
the study of the Bible, as also the fact that his 
slender means were now pretty well exhausted, in- 
duced him to apply for admission to the Theological 
Seminary at Wittenberg, where he promised to him- 
self much spiritual furtherance both from the distin- 
guished teachers there laboring, from more constant 
association with like-minded students, and from the 
opportunity of beginning the actual work of preach- 
ing. Provided, therefore, with a certificate from 
Neander, to the effect that he was *'a young man 
greatly beloved, and of upright, zealous character," 



' Radicalism Chastened. 53 

he applied to the authorities for the appointment, 
and, soon after, received answer that he could enter 
the seminary at Easter, 1821. He now looked more 
cheerfully into the future, and, for the present, met 
his expenses by private instruction. 

It might be supposed that, since his entrance into 
the Kottwitz circle, he had broken off all association 
with worldly students. This was not the case. He 
yet met in their reunions. But it was observed that 
he now talked much less of Germandom and more of 
Christianity, As a friend once read to him a greet- 
ing from a former comrade who had just entered 
upon the office of preaching, but who seemed to 
take his ministry rather unseriously, Stier exclaimed 
before a whole company : " Write to Friend F. that 
he would do well to trouble himself much less about 
Germandom and more about Christianity, for preach- 
ing is a very earnest business ! Write to him that 
such is my greeting in response." 

On another occasion, as a friend reminded him of a 
conversation they had had in Halle, two years previ- 
ously, on philosophy, Stier said : " I am glad of the 
opportunity to see myself reflected from the past, 
and to perceive what struggles I have had to undergo. 
I think now quite differently on all these matters. 
Formerly I felt like stepping forth as a new Socrates, 
and had great hopes from philosophy. Now I am of 
the opinion that it can really help us only to the 
knowledge of finite things. But where the question 
is as to the transcendantal, or as to our moral duties, 
there we should at once go to Christ and ask of him. 
He will teach us as to our true good and as to all 



54 Rudolf Stier. 

the high mysteries which we would so gladly solve 
by philosophy — much better than by all human 
wisdom." 

In the present state of Stier's mind it would not 
be strange if he had temporarily strayed into some 
of the phases of unsound doctrine to which he was 
abundantly exposed. But he happily escaped. He 
accepted the good from the Moravian Brethren, but 
rejected their asceticism. It required an effort, how- 
ever, to break off from the mystical circle of Dr. 
Breyer ; for this man was very successful in throw- 
ing a halo over the pantheistico-Christian speculations 
of a Bohme, a Gichtel, and others. The effort to 
break off from Gichtelianism led Stier to a thorough 
doctrinal examination of the whole subject of mys- 
ticism — with salutary results for his whole future 
theological career. 

Some of the conclusions to which he arrived as 
to the dangers of mysticism are the following : Its 
devotees over-emphasize the peculiarities of their 
personal heart-experience. Their excess of feeling 
obscures their appreciation of the spirituality of 
others, and of certain important elements of general 
truth. Their life and speech narrowly revolve 
around a few favorite points of biblical truth. Their 
lively fancy transforms their one-sided knowledge 
into images which they take for spiritual and 
Divine inspirations. They find antagonisms where 
there are none, and fail to comprehend that the 
outer and the inner do not exclude each other, but 
that the inner should sanctify the outer. They form 
for themselves a pecuUar religious dialect, thus ere- 



Fttll Conversion, 55 

ating a barrier to their communion with the rest of 
the Christian world. They seek in the Scriptures 
the spirit alone, instead of seeking it with and 
through the letter ; and as their fancy is hvelier 
than their sober judgment, they are unable to 
search the Scriptures candidly and without preju- 
dice. They find mysteries where there are none. 
In their unconscious depreciation of other Chris- 
tians, they come to esteem their own religious state 
higher than it really is, and higher than a sound 
understanding of the Scriptures warrants. 

To resume now Stier s personal history. It is 
manifest that the autumn of 1820 was the point of 
his full and radical self-consecration to God. From 
this time forth his love of the truth allowed him no 
longer to be silent in the presence of sin. Friends, 
foes, relatives, all were made conscious of the thor- 
ough change. To work out his own salvation and 
to help others to do so, was henceforth the one motive, 
of his life. He fully explained this change verbally 
or by letter to all whom it could interest. His 
parents — formal orthodox Lutherans as they were — 
found it difficult to comprehend the change that had 
come over their son. Rudolf wrote to them with great 
caution and detail. We take the following from the 
midst of a long apologetic letter to his father : 

" Since I have been in Berlin, this second time, 
the greatest and most blessed change has taken place 
in my soul. I have been brought by the wonderful 
grace of God to a clear knowledge of what is true, 
vital, and alone-saving Christianity, or rather alone- 
justifying faith in Christ, the Son of God and 



56 Rudolf Stier. 

Saviour of the world. I have been awakened out of 
a terrible, profound, and blind sleep of sin — out of 
that condition which the Scriptures call spiritual 
death, and wherein I have thus far myself been, not- 
withstanding all my learning and writing. Dearest 
father ! I have so long hesitated to write this to you, 
simply lest I should give you occasion to a severe 
sin, namely, if you should reject what I write to you, 
and stigmatize it as superstition. But I now feel 
that I cannot wTite to you at all unless I first explain 
myself on this matter. I beg you, in the name of 
divine mercy, and in the presence of Almighty God, 
before whom I recently expected very soon to stand, 
and who may yet call us both to account before to- 
morrow's dawn — I beg you, call not that w^hich I 
write you to-day superstition, but prove it before God 
and the inner voice of your conscience, and see if it 
does not harmonize with the Holy Scriptures. I 
know now — I do not merely believe^ with a faith 
which the world regards as less than a certainty — but 
my faith is more certain than any human knowledge, 
having been illuminated by divine light and by untold 
distress and anguish of soul." [Hereupon follows a 
clear, concise setting forth of what he regards as the 
central truths of the Gospel ; and then he proceeds.] 
" But this Gospel has never been so despised as 
now, and never so nearly driven out of the world, by 
unbelief of every form. Among a hundred preach- 
ers there is scarcely 07ie who faithfully preaches it ; 
and among many thousand hearers, scarcely one who 
believes or obeys it. And yet this Gospel is the 
everlasting heavenly truth. As such, I have expc- 



To his Mother. 57 

rienced it, through the Spirit of God. My sole 
endeavor from now on is, and shall be, to die more and 
more to my previous life and to all its folly and 
vanity, to sanctify myself more fully to the Lord 
Jesus by the help of his grace, and finally, should he 
give me life and call me to it, to follow him in the 
face of all the world, and to preach this Gospel of his 
grace and mercy with all the powers which he gives 
me. Behold, dearest father, such is my firm and 
honest life-purpose. And that this is the eternal 
truth of Gody and higher than all human opinion 
and science, I appeal now and henceforth to that 
great day which shall bring us all before the judg- 
ment seat of God, and to which we are all of us con- 
stantly drawing nearer. I am determined all the 
rest of my life to know of nothing but of this love of 
my crucified Saviour to my poor sinful self ; so may 
he finally help me to eternal blessedness in his 
heavenly kingdom ! " 

And to his mother he inclosed at the same time a 
brief note, of which the following is a passage : 

" O how often I now think of you ! and of how 
entirely different I ought to have been last year, and 
to have spoken to you more earnestly of the most 
earnest things of life ! — had I only known any thing 
of them then myself. I must once again heartily 
beg your pardon for all the wrong I did you. I pray 
you, be thoroughly persuaded that I love you with 
my whole soul in the love of Him who first loved me 
with an infinite forgiving love. O how gladly would 
I be with you once again in Gumbinnen, that I might 
speak and be to you otherwise than as I then was ! 



58 Rudolf Stier. 

When we once come to experience the love of Christ to 
us, and to yield ourselves to him, how then does every 
thing else lose all relative value ! If I could only 
know, dear mother, that you would also give yourself 
to him v/ith your v/hole heart, and thus, even here 
upon earth, change all your sorrows into joys, and 
become contented and happy — O then I could gladly 
die for you this day if I could only thereby bring it 
to pass. Believe me, dear mother, I mean just what 
I say." 

These self-reproaches his parents could hardly 
appreciate, not having gone through the same spirit- 
ual conflicts. They thought him too severe upon 
himself, especially in view of the fact that since the 
death of Pauline he had manifestly grown much more 
serious and religious. His father wrote him a long 
letter, beginning wdth the words : " I doubt not your 
child-like, pious purpose, your real striving to please 
God; indeed,! rejoice that it is so/' But then he 
earnestly exhorted him to mingle more in the world, 
and seek some relaxation from such severe devotion. 
Rudolf answered, December 13, defending himself 
from the insinuation of religious excess. ^' I am not 
fanatical," said he ; '' on the contrary, what I now 
believe, through the grace of God, is the solely divine 
and Biblical doctrine. I take all the diversion that 
is worthy of a man, especially of a theologian, namely, 
in that I earnestly and prayerfully search the word 
of God, and make my salvation a matter of earnestr 
ness to myself, before undertaking to prcaeh it to 
others." 

Further on he added : " Mv confession of faith, 



yoy and Peace, 59 

by which I stand to-day, and hope to stand in the 
end, however long I may live, is found in John iii, 16. 
My sole boast is in Gal. vi, 14. My only God on 
whom I believe is mentioned in Heb. xiii, 8, and in 
I Tim. i, 15, 16. The ground of my earnestness and 
of my fear stands written in Phil, ii, 12. The rule 
for my life is in i John ii, 15-17, and my only excuse, 
should I happen not to please the world,, is in Gal. 
i, 10-12." 

For some time his letters to his parents treated 
almost exclusively of his religious condition. From 
one written to his father in February, 1821, we ex- 
tract : "When you endeavor to cheer me up, you sad- 
ly misunderstand me ; you presume that I am gloomy 
and inclined to grieve. But if you could only be here 
a single day, you would doubtless be astonished to 
discover the very opposite. Christianity is peace 
and joy ; and, indeed, how could the assurance that 
God himself, in order to entitle me to the glory of 
the heavenly life, has died Jor me as man — how could 
such a faith give any thing other than the highest 
joy, and liberate once and for all from all anxiety ! " 

But Stier finally pushed his breaking with the 
world to an extent which really seems an extreme. 
He renounced the design he had some time enter- 
tained, of delivering a trial sermon, lest there 
should be therein mingled some elements of self- 
seeking. He rejected from like motives a lucrative 
offer to write articles for a literary journal in Dres- 
den. He recalled a manuscript which was already in 
the hands of the publisher, and returned the money he 
had received for it ; and that, too, at a time when lie Vv'as 



6o Rudolf Stier. 

almost without resources, and had to sell book after 
book, and finally even his bedding, in order to pay his 
way, until he should arrive at the seminary. And not 
only this ; he thought he discovered a danger in his 
general belle-lettristic tendency — at least what might 
prove a snare in the ftiture. No sooner was he 
convinced of this than he at once bMrned not only 
all his printed and unfinished essays, poems, etc., 
(some of them quite innocent works upon which he 
had wrought for years, for exam.ple, his Dido,) but 
even his Schiller, his long-admired Shakspeare, and 
his Jean Paul, as also the letter received from the 
latter — in fact, every thing that reminded him of his 
unconverted past It was only then that he felt truly 
cut loose from the world. 
. This step, which, contrary to his wish, soon be- 
came known, was sadly misunderstood among his 
friends and relatives. They bewailed his fall into 
the glooms of pietism, and he had to put up with 
many a wounding word. But his trials only made 
him all the more desirous to kindle the flames which 
warmed his own heart in the hearts of others. In 
this, howewer, he was far from always succeeding. 
He was unable to awaken even his old friend Waldow 
— now for some time in Berlin — into sympathy with 
his new life. 

But he felt only all the happier in the association 
of his newly made friends, especially with those v/ho 
could appreciate both his heart-experience and his 
scientific endeavor to fathom the deeper riches of the 
word of God, for example, the privat-doceiits Tholuck 
and Olshausen. The former had presented him, on 



Tholuck and Olshausen, 6i 

Christmas, with a copy of J. F. von Meyer's revised 
German Bible, with the inscription, "There is one 
test-mark which never deceives — affection, candor, 
faith, hope, humihty — love/' And Stier had con- 
ceived and at once begun what was to be so impor- 
tant a work of his life — the further and more com- 
plete rectifying of Luther's version of the Bible — a 
work that seemed to him all the more essential as he 
became more and more convinced that Scripture 
cannot be holy Scripture and the norm of faith unless 
it have the character of strict inspiration. 

For awhile the three young theologians just named 
came together every Tuesday, with a few other broth- 
ers, for mutual edification. They studied the epistle 
to the Romans, and engaged in singing and prayer. 
According to the tastes of the others present the 
exegesis was sometimes more of a scientific and 
sometimes more of a simply edifying character. 
Stier soon discovered that he had more spiritual ' 
affinity with Olshausen than with Tholuck. But the 
fact of this inner difference only rendered their 
intimate association all the more profitable. '^ Feel- 
ing and fancy/' wrote Tholuck subsequently, " will 
always predominate with me ; let them only be 
sanctified, however ; let them be made to serve!'' 
Another time he wrote : '' If you, my beloved Stier, 
with all the eccentricity of your heart, have here so read- 
ily found the center, then beware that you do not now 
pass beyond it again on the other side. You seem 
to me to be an obscurantistico-mystico-cabalistic 
interpreter ; but 1 am of the ilhiininists : " — the latter 
phrase having been said in answer to an utterance 



62 Rudolf Stier. 

of Stier, who had called Tholuck a *' Rationalistic 
pietist." 

Especially intimate was Stier's correspondence 
with Rennecke at Halle, who owed much spiritual 
stimulation to the new life of Stier. The following 
extract from a letter in which Rennecke speaks of 
his own needs and of his relation to Stier is not 
without interest : 

" A certain morbid religious current of the day in 
which I became involved might have become danger- 
ous to me ; and I have always been deeply thank- 
ful that Stier served me here as an angel of God. I 
had fallen into SchelUng's doctrine, as then taught, 
whereby the consciousness of sin (which Stier had 
awakened in me, and which was kept alive by mutual, 
■ honest confession) was in danger of being swept 
away. .But Stier would admit of no compromise 
with sin ; on the contrary, he delighted in the sharpest 
antithesis of light and darkness, just as the Script- 
ures present it. To him sin was not a mere lack of 
the good, but an enmity against God, a thoroughly 
positive essence, whereas I interpreted the darkness 
as a mere negation. For this reason he regarded 
self-amelioration not as the first, but the second in 
order ; the first thing was the atonement, and faith 
in it on our part." 

It is very natural that Stier, now that so vigorous 
a life in Christ had sprung up within him, should 
write thereof to his former spiritual adviser in Stolpe. 
Metger stood, however, too remote from the newly- 
av/akened religious life in Berlin fully to appreciate 
it. Though greatly rejoicing in the news from Stier, 



1 



Cautio7ied hy Metger, 63 

he yet felt called to address certain cautions to him 
which did him partial injustice, as the following 
words will indicate : 

" Repent and believe the Gospel ! In these two 
exclusive conditions I perceive you now simply fur- 
ther advanced than you were two years ago, but not 
merely for the first time grounded. Take care, there- 
fore, that you do not become untruthful to your past ; 
there is indeed a psychological illusion which, lying 
in the nature of the heart as judging only itself and 
not others, does not conflict with the most honest 
truthfulness, and by which the holiest apostle regards 
himself as the chiefest among sinners — simply be- 
cause he sees his own sins close at hand and the sins 
of others from afar. But can I call this an honest illu- 
sion when you speak of your spiritual condition as it 
was two years ago in Stolpe, and as it has now be- 
come, as of darkness and light "i What does this 
mean 1 Humility 1 I fear rather vanity — which 
lurks in us all, and so often befools us and paints our 
former condition in dreary colors in order to make 
our present one all the more beautiful. Do not speak 
to me of your former follies ; I know them all, and con- 
cede them. But I ask you. Are you now entirely free 
from them } You will answer, doubtless, ^ Alas, no ! ' 
and thus admit that, notwithstanding some degree of 
follies and sins, one can yet be in a state of repent- 
ance and faith. Such are you now, and such were 
you then. Spangenberg, Franke, Arndt, are, and 
properly so, your favorites ; mine, however, are Ram- 
bach, Bogatzki, etc. These are strictly Biblical, 
churchly, far from all fanaticism, separatism, excess. 



64 Rudolf Stier. 

Of these things beware, dear brother; and watch 
well that with your excitable fancy you do not stray 
into the errors of mysticism." 

Meanwhile the time for Rudolfs departure for 
Wittenberg drew near. On the 6th of March he 
obtained from the rector of the university the requisite 
certificate of good morals, and from the dean of the 
theological faculty, Dr. Marheineke, a formal dismis- 
sal from the university. Some days thereafter he 
received a very affectionate note from Baron von 
Kottv/itz asking him to call on him, and placing his 
coach at his disposal when he should be ready to 
start for the seminary. On the second of April he 
took advantage of this kind oifer and set out, accom- 
panied by his heart-friends Tholuck and Olshausen 
as far as Potsdam. Resuming his journey next 
morning, he arrived the same day in the old univer- 
sity city of Luther. As he approached the classic 
spot, the gloom of the day suddenly gave place to 
the brightest sunshine — a beautiful symbol of the 
love and hope that glowed in the young theologian's 
heart. He found a neat study and bedroom already 
prepared for him in the venerable old pile rendered 
famous by Luther's presence three centuries previ- 
ously. So pleased was he with his situation and 
prospects, that he at once sat down and sent out 
happy salutations to relatives and friends on all sides. 





CHAPTER VL 

Studies at Wittenberg under the elder 

NiTZSCH, SCHLEUSSNER, AND HeUBNER. 

[1821—1822.] 

FEW years before Stier's arrival at Witten- 
berg the ancient university had been trans- 
ferred to Halle. As a partial compensation for 
the loss to the city, Frederick William HI. had founded 
there, November, 1817, a seminary for the training 
for evangelical preachers. It was calculated to accom- 
modate some twenty-five or thirty candidates for the 
Church, and to give them two years of thorough 
theoretical and practical training in addition to their 
previous university preparation. At the head of the 
seminary stood three distinguished, but very differ- 
ently gifted, theologians, who had already belonged 
to the university. These were K. L. Nitzsch, J. F. 
Schleussner, and H. L. Heubner. 

.Nitzsch was of a distinguished family of Saxony, 
and was now already aged. He had made a repu- 
tation by Latin theological treatises, and had filled 
high places in the Church and in the university. 
His theology was a conciliation of Kantianism with 
supernaturalism, affected somewhat by Schleier- 
macher. His moral character and bearing were very 



66 Rudolf Stier. 

imposing, and exerted a happy influence upon all who 
knew him. At the time of Stier's arrival he had 
already ceased to give lectures proper, but presided 
chiefly over the practical training of the students. 
His relation to Stier, notwithstanding their personal 
uncongeniality, became finally, through his son Carl, 
the great theologian, and his daughter Ernestine, 
very intimate. 

Next to Nitzsch stood Schleussner. He was a 
thorough Saxon scholar of the old school, more fluent 
in Latin than his mother tongue. His work was 
chiefly exegesis. But here his strength lay rather 
in the thoroughness and minuteness of his verbal 
criticism than in any deep appreciation of the spirit- 
ual contents of the sacred Word. 

But the chief religious attraction of the seminary 
at this time was the third teacher, Heubner. In this 
man, although he was thoroughly learned, the savant 
did not preponderate over the Christian. His the- 
ology was the orthodox Lutheran, but as affected 
by a familiarity with Zinzendorf's writings, and by 
sympathy with the newly-awakened religious life in 
Berlin. As chaplain of the seminary, as critic of the 
sermon-sketches of the students and as moderator of 
the scholastic disputations, he came into closer rela- 
tions to the students than his colleagues. 

As to the little body of students, they were gener- 
ally zealous in their studies , but, as they had been 
trained in all parts of Prussia, they were of very di- 
verse theological and religious convictions. These dif- 
ferences appeared very manifest in the disputations, 
and were there frankly expressed and opposed. This 



A Goose in Church. 67 

contributed not a little to the many-sided culture of 
all concerned. Those of them who were pietistic- 
ally inclined were naturally attracted more to Heub- 
ner than to either of the others. 

Into the society of these professors and students 
Stier now entered, at a time when his heart was 
freshly glowing with the warmth of a recent thorough 
conversion. Soon he felt himself thoroughly at home. 
One of his first desires was, now to bear witness of 
the grace he had experienced, both in private inter- 
course and as a herald of the cross. A large circle 
of neighboring villages and of secondary city-appoint- 
ments depended for sermons on the body of students. 
Rudolf accepted the earliest opportunities, and 
preached his first sermon in the village Pratau, a few 
weeks after his arrival. The subject he had selected 
was siraple and practical— the death of Christ for 
needy sinners — -and his manner and treatment were 
direct and unaffected. Indeed, so earnest was he, so 
absorbed in the desire to do good, so conscious that 
he was speaking for Christ, that he was not in the 
least disturbed by what might have confused almost 
any other beginner. For, unfortunately, by the neg- 
ligence of the sexton a goose had been allowed to 
stray into the church and hide herself under the 
pulpit, and now, just as the young preacher was fair- 
ly under way with his first sermon, the inconsiderate 
creature crept out from her hiding-place, stationed 
herself in front of the pulpit, and, lustily flapping her 
wings, set up a very unchurchly cackling ; and it 
was only with some difficulty that she was banished 
from the sacred precincts. Stier simply paused 



68 Rudolf Stier. 

until the interruption was over, and then calmly- 
renewed his address. 

His friends in Berlin having desired to read his 
maiden sermon, he sent the manuscript to Tholuck. 
From Tholuck's answer to Stier we extract : " How 
gladly would I have heard yoMX sermon, which I read 
last Tuesday ! I should have stolen away into a cor- 
ner and wept penitential tears in secret. I clearly 
discover from your words what virtue in a sermon is, 
in your eyes, the highest — namely, simplicity. To 
go over from your 'crocodile-eggs' to stick a style, 
was doubtless very difficult." In fact, the contrast 
of this sermon with the ambitious rhetoric of Stier's 
youthful writings is another evidence of how thor- 
oughly he had broken with his past. 

Fromi now on he preached very frequently, some- 
times in the cathedral, but mostly in the neighbor- 
ing villages. So that by August he could write to 
his father : " The time when I yet counted my ser- 
mons is now past. I 'Z£//// count them, however, just 
now for the last time. Thirteen ! — so many times 
have I preached. During the six weeks' summer 
vacation, which closes this week, several extra ap- 
pointments were given to me by others ; otherwise 
I would not have had so many. The vacation I 
have passed chiefly in solitary study." 

The villagers in the neighborhood of Wittenberg 
had long been accustomed to hearing occasional ser- 
mons by students. But they were no little aston- 
ished at the earnestness and worth of the sermons 
of young Stier ; for, though twenty-one" years old, he 
yet seemed scarcely seventeen. Sometimes they 



Stiers Independence. 69 

gave rather naive expression to their thoughts. 
Once at the close of a sermon, an honest villager 
approached the young preacher and addressed him 
thus, in good earnest : " Dr. Heubner wrote that ser- 
mon for you, didn't he } " At another time a villa- 
ger, who had come for him with a conveyance, gave 
him a less equivocal compliment. ''Now we may very 
well be satisfied," said he ; '' but formerly the students 
were often not worth going for." 

As to Stiers enjoyment of the instruction in the 
seminary, it was not so great as he had hoped for. He 
had already taken a pretty positive position in theol- 
ogy, and the stand-point of his teachers only partially 
satisfied him. Their '' rational supernaturalism," which 
hesitated to go directly to the word of God for ulti- 
mate truth, but anxiously looked about for means to 
reconcile the word with human reason, was very 
repugnant to his view of the significance of divine 
revelation. With Nitzsch he was least of all in har- 
mony. In Schleussner's lectures he found little satis- 
faction, partly because he was not Latinist enough 
readily to appreciate them, and partly because he 
had an insuperable repugnance to treating of sacred 
things in any other than one's mother-tongue. With 
Heubner's theology he was better pleased, though 
even he paid too much respect to Rationalistic 
objections entirely to please Stier. Not unfrequently 
he felt called on to express his dissent from his teach- 
ers. But, as it was always manifest with what up- 
rightness of motive he was actuated in this, his 
independence of judgment served only to raise him 
in their esteem. 



70 Rudolf Stier. 

But a more serious occupation than the hearing 
of seminary lectures was Stier's private critical 
study of the Bible in the originals. In fact this was 
one of the chief purposes for which he came to Wit- 
tenberg. To facilitate his purpose he caused a very 
large Bible to be taken apart and interspersed with 
blank pages, and then rebound in several quarto 
volumes. His library consisted for a time of little" 
more than his lexicons, his German Bible, and his 
Hebrew and Greek Testaments. As he prayed and 
meditated over the original words of inspiration, he 
carefully noted down at the proper place in his 
quartos every suggestion that seemed of importance. 
Thus he gradually accumulated a mass of exegetical 
matter, from which he drew rich supplies in his sub- 
sequent labors as a commentator. 

Another phase of Stier s fruitful activity in Witten- 
berg was his personal influence among the students. 
He contributed not a little to bring the humble 
band of so-called Pietists into their better scientific 
repute. Among the score and a half, then in the 
seminary, were some who were destined to great 
fame in the theological world, for example, Hilgen- 
feld, Wiesmann, Rothe, Bruckner. In Stier s asso- 
ciation and discussions with his fellows, it was 
strikingly apparent that his knowledge of sacred 
things had not been derived — as is too often the case 
— from theological compends, but directly from the 
Bible itself. This gave him great advantage in dis- 
putation ; he was not by any means so liable to 
misapply a text by wresting it from its context. 

In reference to the healthful, mutual self-improve- 



Stier ajid Rot he. 71 

ment of the students in their social intercourse, one 
of their number expresses himself thus : " It was in- 
deed a beautiful, fruitful period. My thoughts fre- 
quently recur to it with the deepest delight and with 
thanks to God. The scientific contests which were 
there fought out in the warmest fraternal love have, 
by the blessing of God, borne the richest harvest for 
all of us individually. One of our most eminent 
brothers in Wittenberg was Richard Rothe ; his keen 
speculative, philosophical spirit gave Stier frequent 
occasion to call into play his own profound acquaint- 
ance with the Scriptures, as also his excellent crit- 
ical talent. During this active, vital interchange of 
thought, there passed no day in which each of us did 
not feel himself furthered in the knowledge of whole- 
some truth, in the life of faith, and in love and enthu- 
siasm for our sacred calling." 

It was a prosperous period for the seminary. 
Heubner frequently remarked that it had never be- 
fore had such an exegete as Stier and such a philo- 
sophical head as Rothe. It was only, however, after 
some months that Stier and Rothe came into per- 
sonal intimacy. One of Stier's earliest intimate 
friends was Griindler. But with all their intimacy 
they frequently widely differed. On one occasion, 
Griindler was appointed publicly to criticise a sermon 
of Stier. In doing so he made one emphatic objec- 
tion to Stier's manner in general. The latter felt 
called on to answer, and wrote, in the third person, 
an anti-criticism, which — as being quite characteristic 
— we here subjoin : 

" Stier, it is claimed, preaches too exclusively from 



72 Rudolf Stier. 

the Bible and too little from life. But let us see 
whence come these different manners of teaching. 
Griindler has come to his faith in the midst of a 
military life, full of all sorts of human experience ; 
and he has confirmed his faith through a consider- 
able length of time. Hence he preaches /<?r life and 
f7vm his own life. Stier, however, has lived a youth 
of recluse study, almost without childhood ; then he 
rushed forth for a short while in the wild burschen- 
schaft enterprise, catching sight of the world only 
through an ideal dream-glass, as yet with the imma- 
turity of a mere child ; in a word, he had had scarcely 
any real life-experience. Then, he came to faith in a 
way the very opposite of Griindler s ; the voice of the 
Lord called to him, not in the midst of wide-reaching 
life-experiences, but through a single, relatively unim- 
portant incident. From his very birth, possessed of 
more understanding than heart (which will probably 
always be the case with him, seeing that God has, 
for wise purposes, constituted us differently), divine 
truth came to him at once predominatingly into the 
understanding. Having passed then a quiet year 
alm.ost in solitude, searching in his own heart and in 
the Scriptures, he found his Christian life-calling to 
lie in the studying of God's word and in the develop- 
ing of its inner doctrines. This continues still to be 
his deeply-felt duty ; he has often inquired of the 
Lord about it, and has always received the same 
answer. He has, therefore, thus far lived almost ex- 
clusively in the Scriptures and scarcely at all in the 
world. Is it now as easily done as said, when Griind- 
ler requires of him that he should not preach from 



Letter' from Rot he. 73 

the Bible but from life? Whence? Ex nikilo? 
Give him first life, and then he will preach from it. 
But only God himself can give that to him ; and thus 
far he has not chosen to do so. And doubtless one 
should not presumptuously seek a form of life that 
does not naturally present itself. The maxim that 
rich life-experience makes the successful preacher 
is unquestionably true, and indeed is frequently 
tmderscored in Stier's own diary. But the question 
here really is, may one not preach without such a 
iife-experience ? On the whole, Stier's conviction is 
that the Bible itself furnishes the finest, clearest, 
and most apt matter for reaching the human heart in 
all ages and in all countries — far better even than 
any uninspired preacher will derive it from his own 
life-experience," etc. 

That Stier should ever have come into close intima- 
cy with Richard Rothe might seem strange to those 
who recollect how utterly antipodal their theological 
tendencies throughout life were ; and yet such was 
the case. The great theosophic ethicist of Heidel- 
berg wrote, shortly before his death, of his relations 
with Stier, as follows : — 

" That which drew us together as friends was the 
similarity of our religious disposition. We were 
honestly and thoroughly convinced that peace of 
heart was nowhere to be found but in Christ, and in 
him to the richest fullness ; and we stood as yet in 
the charming period of our first love to Him. But 
we had come to our common faith in the Saviour 
upon very different ways. I had found my Lord and 
Redeemer without the help of any definite human 



74 Rudolf Stier. 

guide and independently of all traditional ascetic 
processes, having been from earliest youth inwardly 
attracted to him without special external stimulation, 
in virtue of a constantly deeper-felt, personal, as also 
universally-human, want. It had not even entered 
into my thoughts that there need be any thing tradi- 
tional and statutory — in a word, anything convention- 
al — in the Christian doctrine of faith and in the Chris- 
tian shaping of human life. Briefly, my Christianity 
was of a very modern kind ; it held itself receptive 
for every thing which affected it humanely in the 
wide universe of God. But here my relation to 
Stier brought me potently face to face with the very 
opposite tendency. Stier was a Christian of the old 
stamp — a fine minghng, or rather fusion, of the Bibli- 
cal faith of the sixteenth century, and of the inner 
heart-piety of Spener. That form of Christianity 
which the Reformation, primarily as mere church-^Vixi- 
fication, had generated, sat upon him individually as 
gracefully as a garment upon the body for which it is 
cut. It sat upon him really grandly ; and I should 
have been ashamed of myself had it not, as incarna- 
ted in fdvtj deeply impressed me. It did so, to the 
fullest degree. When I compared the completeness, 
the unwaveringness of the personal Christianity of 
my friend with the undeveloped form of my own, I 
became deeply convinced that I had much to learn 
of him. It cost me no light struggle — but I yielded 
not ; I desired to be thoroughly in earnest and to be- 
come a Christian in the way that others were. And 
this earnestness God did not leave without a blessing 
to me ; I owed to it subsequently the joyousness of 



A Biblical Christian. 75 

my conscience, as I, some years later, in Rome, when 
left to my own development, attained to the perfectly 
clear conviction that I, for my own part, could enjoy 
Christian health only as a modern Christian. This 
joyous confidence in my own Christian way, which 
has never since then left me, I owe in large part 
mediately to the dear friend who had daily for a year 
and a half moved before me, reprovingly and awaken- 
ingly, with the entire earnestness and unwavering- 
ness of his frank old-evangelical piety. The same 
characteristic difference manifested itself in all di- 
rections in the communion which we daily enjoyed 
with each other. Stier's theology was not only rooted 
in the Bible, but it was almost exclusively confined to 
it ; to the more complete understanding of the Bible 
he utilized all the fresh knowledge and insight which 
he in any way obtained. With him ChiHstian and 
Biblical WQTQ synonymous ; to him the Bible was the 
whole universe of God. For those branches of the- 
ology which do not relate directly to the Bible he 
manifested scarcely any interest ; and all that which 
may be summed up, in the larger sense of the word, 
under the notion of ' modern ideas/ he quietly 
ignored. He did this in part doubtless from prin- 
ciple, so as not to disturb his simplicity in Christ, as 
also because he feared lest he might otherwise be 
tempted into the cold regions of unbelief, and into 
the false heights of a human wisdom rebellious against 
the word of God — of which in previous years he had 
himself had experiences which he bitterly regretted. 
This, however, was not the only reason ; for in fact 
these things had for him no special attraction. In 



'j6 Rudolf Stier. 

harmony with this he confined himself almost exclu- 
sively to our older theological literature ; indeed, he 
repeatedly assured me that he could find nothing at 
all to his taste in our more recent productions, nor 
derive any fruit from them. Especially he abhorred 
all empty formalism, all rigid scholastic method, 
particularly in the homiletical and catechetical field. 
And though in these respects I perfectly sympathized 
with him, yet my scientific tendency went out essen- 
tially in another direction ; a science of theology was 
to me a personal necessity in another sense than to 
him — as indeed it remained so from thenceforth. But 
as I in after times have always manifested the deep- 
est respect for the productions of his pen, so I know 
that also he paid due respect to my humble bit of 
scientific authorship ; and — for which I heartily 
thanked him and constantly yet thank him — in spite 
of the highly questionable character which my theology 
must have more and more assumed in his eyes, he 
yet never harbored the least doubt of my personal 
Christianity. A disturbance of our friendly under- 
standing could, not result from this wide difference 
in the cut of our spiritual individualities — for this 
among other reasons, because I, for my part, felt too 
deeply the great difference which existed between us, 
to my own disadvantage. But, again, there were 
subjects of a partially scientific nature in respect to 
which we sympathized with each other in the heart- 
iest manner, such as our elder hymnological literature, 
and subsequently also Zinzendorf and the Moravian 
Brethren, with whom I owed my first closer acquaint- 
ance, to his stimulation," etc. 



The Higher Life, yy 

The intimacy of Stier with Rothe and Grundler 
was not, however, exclusive. They each endeavored 
as much as possible to bring others into sympathy 
with their motives and life. They met together reg- 
ularly once a week for mutual edification, and invited 
such to meet with them as they judged would be of 
the same spirit. But this exposed them to no little 
obloquy. They were looked upon as pietists, separa- 
tists, fanatics — any thing but rational Christians. 
They were even reproached as unchurchly for having 
for awhile read in their meetings the writings of the 
pious Catholic, Sailer. As one day one of the 
*' Pietists " stood on the public square in front of 
Luther's house with an unsympathizer, the latter 
pointed to the winding windows of the tower and 
observed, '^ Do you see those windows ?— just so con- 
fused and contorted are the teachings of [the Pietist] 
Heubner." 

But, confused or not, the influence of the Heub- 
nerites in the seminary continued to increase. On 
the prompting of Stier a movement was set on foot 
to have the students excused from a certain seminary 
duty which seemed inconsistent with a proper re- 
spect for the sacred office. The matter was this : it 
had been the custom that the students should, from 
time to time, practice themselves before the whole 
seminary, in making extemporaneous addresses such 
as would be called for in the actual pastoral office, for 
example, exhortations before partaking of the eucha- 
rist, conversations at the bed-side with the sick or dy- 
ing, etc. This external " experimenting " on imaginary 
subjects with things of the most sacred character — 



yS Rudolf Stier. 

comparable to practicing physic on a manikin — ap- 
peared to Stier as an outrage on the inner truth of 
the reHgious hfe. At first he opened his mind only 
to his intimate friends ; among them, Rennecke re- 
sponded to him : " Away with the childish declama- 
tion practicing ! let the heart once be full, and then 
the mouth will gracefully enough overflow when the 
occasion arises." Stier finally went to work and drew 
up a very lengthy presentation of the case, which 
Rothe copied off and Griindler presented. But the re- 
sult was only partial. Those who had petitioned were 
excused, while the others continued the old practice. 

The lack of full Christian communion with the 
majority of the seminary, which Stier and Rothe 
deeply felt, was partially supplemented by the for- 
mation of friendships without. Especially deserving 
of mention here is Emil Krummacher. This young 
evangelical preacher, whom Stier knew as yet only 
by hearsay, no sooner received a pastorate at Coswig, 
some twelve miles from Wittenberg, than Stier and 
Rothe hastened out to welcome him and to cultivate 
his friendship. Krummacher recently wrote of 
the circumstance, thus : — 

" There commenced at that time a new life in our 
German Protestantism — 3. time when such as had 
fully embraced the Gospel and desired to open a way 
for Christ among the people sought out and drew 
near to each other, and felt themselves inwardly 
united together as brethren by the holiest and most 
sacred bonds. So was it also in my case with Stier 
and his so intimate friend, Rothe. Scarcely had these 
two learned that a young preacher was stationed in 



Stier and Tkoluck. 79 

Coswig, who preached his crucified Lord with his 
whole heart, when the dear brethren hastened over 
to see me. And in this first visit our hearts found 
a kindred spirit in each other, so that we formed a 
most intimate friendship. We saw each other from 
thenceforth very frequently in Coswig or in Witten- 
berg, and our meetings were always attended with 
rich gain for head and heart. I recollect with joyous 
thankfulness not only a pedestrian journey which we 
made together, but especially the celebration of the 
New Year's night of 1821-22, which I enjoyed with 
Stier, Rothe, and the then privat-docent of Berlin, 
A. Tholuck, at Wittenberg. With earnest conversa- 
tion and fraternal song and prayer, we passed over 
from the old into the new year. Also Dr. Heubner 
belonged in our friendship bond, and demeaned him- 
self (losing sight of his difference of age) simply as 
our affectionate, dear brother. He also came occa- 
sionally to Coswig ; and then, before he departed, he 
was accustomed to join with me in earnest prayer." 

As a rule, Stier and Rothe subsequently met 
Krummacher at a half-way place, spent the day in 
social intercourse, and then, returned to Wittenberg 
by twilight. 

As might be anticipated, Stier kept up correspond- 
ence with his Berlin friends, especially Olshausen, 
Tholuck, and Kottwitz. Tholuck imparted to him 
very fully both his personal experiences and his scien- 
tific labors. He was then lecturing on the Psalms, 
and preparing himself on parts of the New Testa- 
ment ; and, wide as he differed from Stier in his 
hermeneutic principles, while yet fully harmonizin>^* 



So Rudolf Stier. 

with him in heart, he yet for some time lived with 
him, as far as science is concerned, in an almost 
complete community of goods. This is illustrated by 
the following extract from a letter of his to Stier : — 

'' Will you be so kind as to send to me those striking 
and suggestive comments which you collected on the 
first ten chapters of Luke and on the letter to the 
Romans ? In return I will gladly impart to you any 
thing possible in the line of critical observations (which 
perhaps from the lack of access to authorities you may 
desire to obtain). Be sure and consult the writings of 
Hess on the Old Testament ; they have helped me to 
the true historical view. I now really perceive, and 
owe it to your suggestion, that whoever once truly 
loves Christ will rather assume too much significance 
in a text than too little, wherever he can, even though 
it may be somewhat dark to him. I am becoming more 
and more convinced that the Old Testament contains 
more than one at first suspects ; let Christ only ^r^-rc; 
in us and then he grows also in the Scriptures. 
What you mean by your ' primarily of man in general, 
and in the typical sense of Christ,' I do not under- 
stand. I cannot persuade myself to accept a double 
sense ; I find, however, among the latter Psalms, 
several Messianic ones." 

But some time subsequently he writes : '' Now I 
find myself suddenly brought nearer into harmony 
with you also as respects your cabalistic exegesis. I 
have finally concluded, and with thorough conviction, 
to recognize a double sense. Behold what you have 
gained in me !" 

And elsewhere : *^ Will you not, my dearest friend, 



A Testimonial, 8 1 

come and spend Christmas with us ? How rich we 
shall have grown in experience ! How much we shall 
have to say to each other of the goodness and grace 
of our Lord ! And yet it has been but three quar- 
ters of a year. If, now, we could meet each other 
again after some score and a half of years, and then 
explain and interchange with each other what v^^e 
shall have learned and grown in the mean time, how 
would we then have to exclaim together with cease- 
less tears : where Jesus is, there it grows brighter 
from day to day ! " 

The above suggested Christmas visit to Berlin 
Stier really carried out, and found great joy in the 
renewal of former relations, especially with Tholuck 
and Kottwitz. While here he received several calls 
to accept important posts as teacher. On prayerful 
reflection, however, he concluded to remain in the 
seminary. In consideration of his having passed a 
probationary year in the seminary, he now received, 
at Easter, 1822, from the seminary faculty, a certifi- 
cate formally constituting him a candidate for the 
ministry in the Prussian Church. This document, 
as expressive of the actual estimation of Stier by 
the venerable officials of the seminary, is worthy of 
a place here. It reads thus : — 

" The student of theology, Mr. E. R. Stier, since 
Easter, 1821, a worthy member of this theological 
seminary, has during his presence here, both by 
diligent participation in all the exercises of the insti- 
tution and in the verbal examinations which he has 
undergone, proved himself very worthy of candidature 
for the pastorate. He expresses himself well and 



82 Rudolf Stier. 

fluently in the German language and correctly in 
the Latin. He has, by preference and with distin- 
guished success, devoted himself to the critical 
exegesis of the Old Testament, as also of the New, 
and not less to Biblical theology and ethics ; but not 
so much to historical theology. His sermons show 
a similar tendency, treating, by preference, of the 
universality of moral corruption — always Biblical, and 
though usually somewhat polemical yet popular and 
earnest in style. His catechetical exercises bear a 
similar stamp. The undersigned declare him, there- 
fore, in virtue of their office, a candidate for the 
pastoral office in the national Church. 

" Dr. Nitzsch, 

" Dr. Schleussner, 

" Dr. Heubner. 
Wittenberg, A^ril 2, 1822." 

We now turn to another phase in Stier's life. 



i 




CHAPTER VII. 

Continues at Wittenberg — Courtship. 

[1822-1823.] 

JHERE occurs sooner or later in the life of 
1^^ nearly every young man a period when a 
peculiar sense of loneliness and of vague want 
comes over him — when he realizes, to an almost pain- 
ful degree, the truthfulness of the sacred utterance that 
it is not good for man to be alone. The only healthy 
exit from this state lies in the finding of a more 
inseparable associate and a more intimate heart- 
communion than society has as yet offered. And to 
him who, with a lively faith, truly trusts in divine guid- 
ance, this finding is usually soon and happily realized, 
and under circumstances which ultimately stamp the 
conviction upon the two hearts concerned, that their 
union has the special sanction of the divine will. 

This period had begun to dawn in Rudolfs 
life soon after his arrival at Wittenberg. He felt 
himself destined to the pastoral office, and he looked 
upon this office as calling for the full experience and 
the helpful sympathy which are found alone in the 
married life. What wonder, then, that the thought, 
and the sense of the ultimate need of a life-compan- 
ion, occurred to him and disquieted him from time 
to time in the midst of his theological labors.'^ 

It was from the family of the venerable and staid 



84 Rudolf Stier. 

Dr. Nitzsch, and in the person of his youngest 
daughter, Ernestine, that this heart-want was to be 
met. He was destined, however, to obtain his prize 
only through manifold heart-tremblings and persistent 
endeavor. 

The courtship of Rudolf Stier forms one of the 
purest and pleasantest episodes in modern Christian 
biography, and deserves the thoughtful consideration 
of all who stand upon the threshold of this inter- 
esting but momentous, and too frequently thoughtless, 
life-period. It finely illustrates how all, even the 
merely natural, relations of human life are beau- 
tified and intensified by a vital Christian faith, and 
that, too, without the least sacrifice of the poetic and 
romantic elements. 

Ernestine Nitzsch was seen by Rudolf for the first 
time on the day of his, previously-mentioned, first 
sermon, and he is said to have felt at once an obscure 
presentiment of what she was ultimately to become to 
him. This young lady is described as having been, at 
that time, not unlike the Christian woman character- 
ized in I Peter iii, 2-4. She was now about twenty- 
three years of age, and had been led to a deep Chris- 
tian experience, both by intimate association with per- 
sons of eminent piety and through manifold bodily suf- 
fering. Her sympathies had brought her into close 
relation to the revived religious life in Berlin, as 
may be seen from the above-imparted extract from 
one of her letters. Her absorbing life-motive was now 
the furtherance of the kingdom of God in others, and 
the growing consecration of her own heart to the 
Lord. She had come to discard all merely belle-let- 



Courtship, 85 

tristic literature, into which she had previously made 
wide excursions. Her gentle piety, combined with 
her gracious but unassuming exterior, obtained for 
her many suitors, some of them destined to distinc- 
tion ; but she had long felt a natural disinclination 
to marriage, and this, taken in connection with the 
facts that her parents were now aged and feeble, and 
that the other six children were already married, had 
gradually confirmed her in the thought of living 
single. To her staid Lutheran parents she was, 
notwithstanding their dislike to her pietistic form of 
religion, especially dear, and indeed had become 
almost indispensable. And finally, after many prayers 
and tears, she succeeded in partially reconciling 
them to her new form of piety. 

The development of the bridal relation between 
Rudolph and Ernestine extended through a good 
part of his two years in the seminar}'. Many years 
later he wrote thus on this point to a grown-up son : 
*' Your departed mother, at the time I found her and 
recognized in her the companion destined to me by 
God, was almost three years older than myself, and 
in delicate health. Every thing seemed unfavorable ; 
our union was a spiritual 'finding in the Lord.' And 
yet we proceeded in the matter with fear and trem- 
bling. To learn more certainly God's will we sub- 
jected ourselves more than once to earnest prayer for 
considerable periods. At one time we even thought 
it our duty to discontinue our relations ; but finally 
every thing became as clear as day." 

Before his arrival at Wittenberg he had heard, 
through Kottwitz and Jiinicke, much of her character 



86 Rudolf Stier. 

and of her religious influence upon others. Also, 
Tholuck wrote to him once : '' Greet, from me, Er- 
nestine, the heavenly-minded, pure handmaiden of 
the Lord." But it was only after some length of 
time that he had the privilege of lengthy conversa- 
tion with her. Ernestine could not fail to perceive 
the religious improvement which took place in the 
seminary in the summer of 1821 ; she wrote of it in 
October to a friend : " With the seminary I come 
again so far into closer relation that I sometimes see 
Stier and Grundler at Seelfisch's. Stier always 
relates to me at once how it stands with him ; the 
Pioly Spirit will surely be with these two, for they 
make religion a matter of earnest. One of the 
students has already been greatly changed by them. 
They both preach very often in the villages." 

The Seelfisch above alluded to was the husband 
of Louise, one of her older sisters, and a pious pastor 
in Wittenberg. In this family Ernestine found the 
warm religious communion which she missed at 
home. Here she frequently met with Rudolf and 
other of the more religious of the students. Some 
weeks later than the date of the aToove extract she 
wrote thus of the unhappy effects of a terhporary 
Lutheran hostility to the Prussian Church-union : 
" Also in the seminary there is much commotion. 
The dear brothers Grimdler, Stier, and Rothe have 
to contend with many difficulties ; but God is man- 
ifestly with them. Also, of these three I must 
sometimes hear very hard things. They constantly 
grow nearer to me in spirit, even without personal 
intercourse, and an actual meeting with them is a 



Ernestine. 87 

real soul-strengthening. By these instruments sev- 
eral other of the students have been visibly brought 
under the influence of the Spirit/' 

This little circle of young believers saw each other 
most frequently at Seelfisch's on Monday evenings, 
the time set apart by this pastor for special intercourse 
with the students. In these seasons of familiar 
Christian converse, many a deep and fruitful impres- 
sion was made. When Ernestine was present she had 
the happy art of speaking to each of them words fitly 
chosen, now as to his efibrts at preaching, and now 
of his studies or his general reading, so that finally 
she came to be talked about, by some, under the 
slightly sarcastic soubriquet of " abbess of the clois- 
ter " (seminary). The impression she made upon 
Stier increased with every renewed interview. Her 
gentle manners, her child-like faith, her suggestive 
words, clothed her in his eyes with a sort of religious 
halo. His sentiments toward her could not long 
remain unobserved by his friends. On one Sabbath 
evening he was so affected by a casual utterance in 
the devotional services of Heubner that he burst 
out into irrepressible tears. As there seemed to be 
little in what was said, to work such an effect, Rothe 
asked him, after the others were gone, for the 
occasion of his emotion. Thereupon he frankly 
told Rothe of his deep feeling for Ernestine, and of 
the severe struggle it was costing him to master it, 
seeing that he had as yet no assurance that the Lord 
approved it. This assurance, however, he gradually 
gained, as he obtained opportunity of learning how 
perfectly and fully her religious views harmonized 



88 Rudolf Stier. 

with his own. He even took courage and felt it his 
duty to prolong a certain interview, from which he 
had received much help, by addressing her in writing. 
The chief passages in this letter are as follows : — 

" Beloved Sister in the Lord ! May the Holy 
Spirit and Comforter, the Spirit of the Lord Jesus and 
of his heavenly Father, comfort us by the power of his 
grace, and lead us into all truth. Amen. — As disciples 
of the Lord, it is our privilege to help and edify each 
other in our most holy faith. It is, in fact, a general 
principle in the kingdom of Christ that his follow- 
ers are most richly blessed by fellowship. Every 
interview with you thus far has been blessed to my 
heart. Should, now, outward circumstances hinder 
us from seeing each other and speaking with each 
other as fully as we could wish, this is then simply 
the will of the Lord ; and he would have us respect 
it. This, however, does not forbid that we should 
continue this communion in other proper ways. 
You will therefore surely pardon me, and not think 
it at all strange, if I now carry out my long-cherished 
purpose of writing to you. When I recently parted 
from you one evening, I had still a great deal on my 
mind to say ; but as time and place were not oppor- 
tune, I had to go home with an unburdened heart. 
Let me now therefore say to you, in brotherly 
love, what I then fain would have said. 

" You made some remarks once as to my sermons 
which were very profitable to me, and I could but 
desire more frequently to learn wherein you are not 
of the same mind as myself. The disciples of the 



Letter to Erjzestine. 89 

Lord may richl}^ compliment each other by affec- 
tionate suggestions. You will therefore certainly 
understand me and my motive, should I avail myself 
of this privilege, and venture to say to you what 
seems to me good and right, and to ask you to prove 
every thing by the word of the Lord. You com- 
plained recently, dear sister, of the lifelessness of 
your religious feelings, and therefore I would gladly 
offer you comfort in so far as I can, and in the 
way which seems to me the right one. Permit me 
to express myself frankly : I think you are disposed 
to bewail too much, and without sufficient cause. 
You will doubtless wonder how I can assert that ; and 
it is, in fact, only my opinion. But I look upon the 
matter thus : Is it not possible, dear sister, that in 
your heart-life you really attribute too much to feeling, 
giving to it a larger sphere than properly belongs 
to it } If I err, then I err with joy ; but how the 
matter is you can yourself best determine. 

" But do not misunderstand me, as if I spoke against 
feeling and a religion of feeling in the same sense in 
which the world speaks against them — the world 
which knows nothing of the work of God in the human 
heart. On this matter I think we are in harmony. 
But there is here even for the Christian a too nmcJi 
as well as a too little. It is assuredly possible for a 
Christian to lay more stress upon sensuously-percep- 
tible feeling than properly belongs to it. This would 
be contrary to man's nature, which consists not 
merely in feeling, but also in knowledge and in will 
and in many other things ; it would in fact be, to de- 
sire to receive the Lord partially and one-sidedly." 



90 Rudolf Stier. 

Thereupon follows a fuller development of his 
general opinion. In order to convince Ernestine 
that her view might not be the better one, he adduces 
several reasons. First, he cites the utterance of 
Stilling, that ''sensuous God-experiences are as light- 
ning flashes in the night ; he who walks in the clear 
light of day has no need of them." Then he urges 
the fact that there is not in the whole Bible a single 
passage which lays any stress upon feeling the pres- 
ence of Jesus, and which argues from this feeling 
to his actual presence. And upon this he then 
bases a refutation of the whole doctrine of the 
Mystics as to certain periods when God voluntarily 
withdraws from his children and leaves them without 
comfort. Making this a basis for hearty encourage- 
ment, he then proceeds : 

'' But wherefore, dear sister, have I thus written 
all this to you, so fully and at length } Because you 
recently complained of alternating states of comfort 
and of abandonment, and because I conceive that 
this arises from the reasons above assigned. 

" It is assuredly a holy duty for all of us who present 
ourselves to the w^orld as the disciples of the Lord, 
and as his witnesses upon the earth, that we always 
manifest to the world a faith that is not only appro- 
priately earnest, but also cheerful, joyous, and vigor- 
ous. That alone can give the world encouragement 
to come over to us. And though we may, in quiet 
humility and self-denial, be privately quite satisfied 
with whatever God gives or refuses — and though we 
have the privilege of secretly laying our poor and 



Letter to Ernes tme. 91 

humiliated heart, just as it is, upon the Lord's heart, 
that he may comfort it, or else of disclosing it to our 
brethren — nevertheless, so soon as we appear before 
the world it is then our duty to put on a cheerful 
and bright countenance — that the Lord's cause be 
not brought into reproach. It is our duty, then, to 
offer this prayer : ' Not for my sake, O Lord, do I 
desire comfort and cheer, but I am satisfied with thy 
grace, which shall, at the proper time, become mighty 
in weakness. But just now has come this proper 
time when I pray thee to honor me before the world 
as thy pardoned and joyful child ! ' I have often expe- 
rienced that the Lord always answers such a prayer, 
when it is sincerely made, for the sake of others. He 
has given me peace, strength, and blessing. 

"" That you will accept in love these my poor words 
in the spirit in which they are meant, I take for 
already granted. May the Lord be pleased to speak 
to you through them ! then all will be made clear to 
you through the Spirit, and I shall be pardoned for 
all the imperfection of my work. Dear sister, let me 
suggest that you would do well to forget yourself 
more than you are wont to do ; I know that you may 
and can do it — I know that you have the right thus 
to rejoice in the Lord with a joyous faith. I know 
also that you cannot misunderstand these words, 
which I would not thus say to another, — that you can- 
not suppose that I encourage you to levity or spir- 
* itual negligence. Also I would say : work actively 
for the Lord, so far as he opens a way for you for the 
upbuilding of his kingdom in the hearts of all to 
whom you may have access. This in fact you do 



92 Rudolf Stier. 

already ; be then not anxious, but joyous in the love 
of Him whose will it is, that, in so far as it is right, 
we become all things to all persons, that we may 
gain over some, i Cor. ix, 22. 

'' May the Lord our merciful Shepherd and Saviour, 
ever draw us nearer to him, that we may increase in 
all knowledge and experience, and prove what is the 
best. May He in whom we are one, and hope 
hereafter in eternity to be even more intimately one — 
may He, the Head of whom we are members, ever 
unite us, even while outwardly separated, more fully 
in spirit, by uniting us more fully with Himself, 

Please answer me, either verbally or by letter, just 
as you can or prefer. Finally, I beg that you pardon 
this well-meant letter, springing as it does from the 
unfeigned Christian affection of your unworthy 
brother, Rudolf Stier." 

Ernestine's answer contributed not a little to help 
him out of his inner perplexity, and to give him light 
both as to his inclination toward her and as to the 
Lord's will in the matter. And now he ventured 
(it was over a year after his entrance into the semi- 
nary) actually to propose to Ernestine the very 
practical question whether she would also be his in a 
ftiller sense than had yet been broached. As the 
letter in which he did this is characteristic, and 
quite a curiosity in its way, it shall here be given in 
full. It reads as follows : — 

" Beloved Sister in the Lord : In the sacred 
name of the Lord, our all-merciful Saviour, who has 
redeemed us both with his blood to be his possession, 



A Love-Letter, ,93 

and called us to eternal blessedness in His love ! read 

this letter in his presence, for so it was written. May 

He, the searcher of hearts, and whose eyes are as 

flames of fire, try and prove our hearts, and lead us 

into the solely right way of His eternal will. Amen„ 

" Again I address you by letter, as I think that, in 

this case, it is better. This time, however, I have to 

say to you a great and earnest word, which I desired 

to say to you verbally on Monday, and for that reason 

awaited you early in the garden. Yet the Saviour 

directed it otherwise, and undoubtedly because it was 

better. I have long been inquiring of the Lord 

whether I might speak, and so long as I felt the need 

of longer asking I have kept silent. Now, however, 

it has quite suddenly become clear to me that I may 

speak — nay, that I must do so in order not to be 

tmtnce, Ernestine ! — allow me this time to address 

to you the familiar du (thou*) — I love you, and no 

longer merely as a sister, and I would fain that you 

were for ever united to me in the name of Him to 

whom we both belong, and ' in whom we have found 

and understood each other/ — as you wrote. This 

is the momentous word which I desire to say to you 

strictly in the name of Jesus. I herewith submit to 

your decision a holy question, which, as I deeply feel, 

concerns and involves my whole inner life ; and I 

await the Lord's will in the decision you shall make. 

" Ever since the first time I saw you (on my arrival 

with Sydow), your society has had a helpful influence 

toward my sanctification, such as nothing else has 

* The habits of our language do not admit of this naive use o{ thou 
for you. 



94^ Rudolf Stier. 

exerted. In my whole life, I know of no outer cir- 
cumstance in which the Lord has seen fit to place 
for me so much spiritual stimulation as in your 
words, or even in the seeing of you, or in the think- 
ing myself in. relation with you. This was not then 
so clear to me as, with my new light, I find it now 
on looking back ; and yet it was really so. I have 
never preached a sermon without being supported 
and strengthened by the thought that perhaps you 
were among its hearers. Dear sister, do not look 
upon this as mere self-deception or earthly passion. 
As true as the Lord lives, the more distrustful I 
have been of myself in this respect, so much the 
clearer has it now become to me that the feeling 
that lives in me for you springs from on high. How 
strange and mysterious are the manifoldly interwoven 
influences of the spirit-world! Even when I wrote 
the letter to you in regard to your spiritual depres- 
sion, I thought of you in relation to myself only as I 
wrote — as a sister in Christ. I did not yet under- 
stand myself, nor what was already long prepared in 
my heart. Then came your answer, so inwardly re- 
lated to me, so stirring to my innermost heart — as 
cannot be expressed, but only felt. You wrote that 
the Lord as^suredly meant by these letters to bring 
about a closer relation between us. You said that 
we would, in spirit, give each other the hand for the 
pilgrimage to Zion. These words awoke in me my 
first consciousness of a desire to possess you. I 
thought of us for the first tim.e as in u7iion^ in the 
fullest sense of the word. I thought of us as giving 
each other the hand for the pilgrimage toward the 



A Love-Letter, 95 

Throne of the Lamb. Also the Hne, ' When I shall 
come to Zion,' etc., which I heard you sing one 
evening recently, touched a deep chord in my heart. 
And, to lay my heart fully open to you in the presence 
of the Lord, as becomes his children — how often there 
lies a germ of Viride-reaching consequences in the most 
insignificant incidents of human life ! The mere report 
that here and there a slight rumor — no uncommon 
thing in Wittenberg on this point — represents us as 
united, became to me the occasion of first conscious- 
ly knowing my own mind on this matter. 

" Since then I have reflected, struggled, and que- 
ried in many ways. It lies in the nature of my whole 
earlier, alas ! so perverted and misspent life, and in 
my peculiarity of disposition, so far as I know it, 
that I needed at this point carefully to guard against 
the deceptions of my own heart, and to trust to it 
least of all. For this reason I have felt it an earnest 
duty often to turn the eye of my mind away from 
you and to fix it exclusively on the Lord. In so doing 
I came at first to the full conviction that I would 
have to overcome myself and renounce my inclina- 
tion — in fact, there have been days when the victory 
seemed to be won and the matter at an end. But 
with all my honesty of purpose to follow only the 
will of the Lord, and in all my praying to him for 
light and victory, your image persisted in returning 
before my mind, and that, too, with renewed power ; 
and precisely in my holiest hours of communion with 
the Lord, and amid the purest meditations of my 
heart, the old wish constantly obtruded itself Even 
in the very presence of the Lord I uniformly found 



96 Rudolf Stier. 

you also at my side. And every meeting with you, 
notwithstanding that I severely accused myself of 
not being of a disinterested heart, and of mingling 
self-will and selfish desire with the brotherly love I 
felt for you, proved to me more influential and help- 
ful for my sanctification in Christ than any other 
outward circumstance whatever. Thus, I have found 
my love for you rooted and grounded solely in my 
love to the Lord — intimately related to and involved 
in \t from its very beginning ; and now it is clear to 
me that I love you with a love that is not only 
allowed, but also sanctified by the Lord ; and I feel 
that I may frankly say so to you, in order that I may 
learn whether our merciful Saviour has meant in 
this instance to impart to me an unutterable favor, 
or to lay upon me the wholesome duty of a severe 
renunciation — -in either case to the furtherance of my 
inner life. 

" A love in the earthly sense and in the unregener- 
ate state, suddenly and painfully broken off* by deaths 
had formerly struck in me the awakening chord of 
the new birth. And now I found — as indeed all the 
tendencies and aspirations of the soul renew and 
transfigure themselves in Christ — I found that 
through the very contrast of my old experiences 
there sprang up in my mind, from this moment of 
my awakening and thenceforth, a high ideal of Chris- 
tian bridal and wedlock love, which has constantly 
grown in clearness and attractiveness, and in signifi- 
cance for my life's future. This ideal of a love-bond 
formed in Christ, of a union formed over the grave 
of every thing earthly and selfish, solely in the name 



A Love- Letter, 97 

of the Lord, in order to mutual promotion in sane- 
tification, and to joint preparation for a blessed 
eternity, — this ideal of a Christian love, in which 
true hearts desire nothing else than through the help 
of grace to exercise holy love toward each other to 
the utmost extent, and find in their own love only 
the reflected image of the higher love wherewith 
each would fain cling with bridal devotion to the 
common Saviour — the ideal of such a union which 
is based wholly in the supersensuous, and formed for 
eternity, but which God has seen fit in his wisdom 
to invest in the form of a sensuous and time-condi- 
tioned communion, thus transfiguring (here as else- 
where) the earthly into the heavenly — this ideal of 
Christian bridal and wedlock love has now assumed 
life in me at the thought of you, Ernestine, and I feel 
that you would be able to realize in my life that for 
which I feel within me a holy and assuredly not 
divinely-disapprobated heart-need. I deeply feel, and 
indeed first learned to feel so in prayer before the 
Lord, that a union with you would prove very richly 
promotive of my sanctification ; nay, that such a union 
would really bring, as it were, all the buds of my 
inner being into bloom, and thus fully develop my 
incipient new-birth into perfect divine love. 

" Therefore I have now also taken courage to say 
this to you, thus frankly, just as it appears to me. 
I certainly feel my own unworthiness too deeply to 
propose to you any other motives ; but I also know 
that I love you with my whole poor heart, and that 
this feeling of my heart may be of the Lord — that it 
is possible that he who foresaw our days from eternity 



98 Rudolf Stier. 

may have destined us for each other. Often is my 
heart fooHsh enough, on looking back on our associ- 
ation thus far, to find many things wherein I discover 
that the Lord has been bringing about our union ; 
often I would fain believe and hope what I dare not 
expressly pray for — that you can love me as I love 
you. And yet, who am I that I should not just as 
resignedly adore the Lord's will even if in all this I 
have presumptuously erred ? I can therefore do 
nothing else than — ask and wait. 

*^ Ernestine ! all that belongs to me proper is simply 
misery and sin, however else it may externally appear. 
Much sin, much strife and unpeace have already 
passed through my poor soul. But now I have ob- 
tained in the blood of the Lamb a new innocence 
and a heavenly peace. And with all my weakness I 
am blissfully certain of the work of God in my soul. 
And now it seems to me as if you would promote 
and perfect it. Does it not also appear to you as if 
we \wQrQfor each other — as if we would richly com- 
plement, support, promote, and love each other in the 
Lord "! I have recognized Christ in you, as you have 
in me. Can you not also conceive it as his will that 
we are to love him in each other — that God's work in 
our souls is to be fully shaped and carried on by our 
union in the Lord 1 Are you willing to be the life- 
companion of a disciple who, poor as he may be, is 
yet faithfully wrestlmg for divine love } Can you 
believe that perhaps also in him the Lord designs 
to bless you ? May our blessed Saviour himself 
decide in you, and may his will be done forever by 
all his children ! Amen. 



A Love-Letter. 99 

" Christian marriages, contracted wholly in Christ 
in the highest sense, are of a holy character, and 
hence very rare. If, now, the Lord has brought us 
together in the course of life, and enabled us to un- 
derstand and appreciate each other in order hereafter, 
through us, to glorify himself in the eyes of the 
world, then may his purpose be accomplished ! All 
that I desire — I desire it only in so far and so long 
as I regard it as his will. And if it is his will, then 
he will also so direct and control every thing as to 
bring about the designed end. 

*' The outer circumstances in which this affair is 
enveloped, and which indeed the earnest Christian 
mind must prosaically take into account, are of such 
a character as earnestly to concern you, and as to 
have long formed for me a dissuading voice. You 
are asked, dear sister, whether you are willing to be 
the comforting and helping companion of a poor 
Lithuanian evangelist, in labors far from the home 
of your childhood. When I seriously think of this, 
I am myself almost tempted to decide against the 
wish of my life ; and yet I would insult your moral 
nature should I too much emphasize these mere ex- 
ternals. And I would also be unchristian and of 
little faith should I, in a case where the imier voice 
calls, look only upon merely material and secondary 
considerations. I think, indeed, that also in this 
respect we are fully of one mind. 

" In my soul it becomes daily brighter, quieter, 
purer, by the mere thought of you. Your love would 
awaken to bloom in me a heavenly Spring, of which 
the earthly one would be but a shadow. I come to 



lOO Rudolf Stier. 

you in tears, and place in your hand the deepest wish 
that my life has yet known. I know not yet how 
these lines will be brought to you. Where can I 
speak with you, uninterrupted and alone ? Inform 
me in whatever way you can. If you can be in the 
garden, within a few days, earlier than on other oc- 
casions — ^say toward six o'clock — I will be glad to 
await you there. May the all-merciful Saviour send 
daily his reviving Spirit more richly into our hearts, 
and lead us thereby into all truth and wisdom ! May 
his heavenly love reign unto eternal life ever more 
fully in you, beloved sister, and in your ever faithful 

'' Rudolf in Christ." 

To Ernestine, who had already declined, for what 
seemed to her entirely impersonal reasons, the ad- 
dresses of more than one promising suitor, t/izs 
question, from one somewhat younger than herself, 
came rather unexpected ; and yet, in view of Rudolfs 
thorough harmony of disposition with hers, she could 
not feel it her duty to refuse it a serious consideration, 
especially when she considered how greatly she had 
already been inwardly benefited by Rudolfs society. 
After several days of prayerful reflection and self- 
examination she accorded to him for the present 
the nearer privilege of a Christian brother, in the 
hope of finally obtaining from God full certainty as 
to her duty in the matter. And from now on she 
responded to his missives in frequent brief and cheer- 
ing notes, being largely prevented from going out by 
habitual ill health. From these notes of Ernestine 
we make the followins; extracts : — 



From Ernestine. lOl 

May 14. — "As high as the heavens are above the 
earth, so are His ways higher than our ways. Let 
us rejoice in this and bow in adoration. All that you 
now think you can receive through me, He can give it 
to you abundantly and thousandfoldly in another 
manner if he sees fit ; therefore may our whole will be 
resigned to his. I know indeed very well that love 
in the Lord very much resembles love of the Lord, 
seeing that the former springs from the latter.'' 

May 29. — ^' There is something infinitely more 
blissful than we usually think in the simple feeling 
that we are doing God's will, and there is an im- 
measurable misery when we are conscious of the 
opposite. This we do not sufficiently feel in our 
daily routine life ; but when the Lord impresses it 
upon the soul by weighty events, then we realize it 
in an entirely new sense." 

yime 14. — '' I have been even much nearer to you 
since our external separation than previously, as is oft- 
en the case with me. When I am alone in solitude, or 
in the presence only of such as leave my soul un- 
touched, and yet am in the presence of the Saviour, 
then I hold those whom I love in him more firmly 
and more surely than ever." 

July 2. — '' The Lord has so constituted me that 
whenever it is necessary I can, by his grace, undergo 
self-denial and suffering much more readily, and can 
have much more courage for every thing that requires 
of me passive todurance than for the aggressive duties 
of actual life. Alas ! how sad a tale could I tell you 
of the poverty of my own soul ; and yet it would 
profit nothing, and might even be sinful, especially 



102 Rudolf Stier. 

if it should appear as if I had no Saviour, or as if 
any disease could be too deep for this physician. 
Dear Rudolf, when our pilgrimage shall finally be 
ended — when we shall come to eternal rest, to peace, 
and to light ; when the bridegroom shall then bring 
home the bride and never more let her go — how 
many of the voices will then be hushed which now 
constantly break out in unrest — how will all discords 
be resolved into one great harmony !" 

yiily 4. — '' Yoii were also right near to me, and I 
could commit also you as well as myself into His 
keeping. I reflected that it is in reality^ after all, 
quite indifferent how we further pursue this journey, 
I mean whether apart or united, provided we are 
really upon the right way. When one makes a 
journey, one cares in fact for little else than to come 
to the end." 

The course of Ernestine met the approval of her 
friends. Her father, in his characteristic manner, 
scarcely took notice of the matter. Her mother and 
sister, however, as well also the friends of Stier, 
foresaw clearly enough that this brotherly and sister- 
ly love was likely soon to ripen into another form, 
unless God saw fit to order otherwise. 

Hereupon intervened the six weeks' vacation-jour- 
ney which Stier made into Silesia to visit his friend 
Rennecke. This brief separation served only to 
bring the two hearts still closer to each other. Ru- 
dolf's farewell word to Ernestine as he took leave of 
her in Seelfisch's garden was not unrealized : '' May 
the Lord bring us together neairr than ever ! " He 
had left with her, as a partial remedy for his own 



i 



The Moravians, 103 

absence, a handful of his latest nnanuscript poems. 
She had given him, as a solace on his long pedestrian 
journey, her diary, ''that he might learn from it how- 
poor and helpless was the coveted bride, and how she 
lived only of divine grace." 

With this treasure in his knapsack Stier set out 
with a light heart on his eastward path, and would 
have gone all the way on foot had not his thoughtful 
friend, Rennecke, come out a considerable distance 
to meet him with a suitable conveyance. Once ar- 
rived at the Silesian village Girlsdorf, Rennecke 
introduced Stier to the talented lady, Madam von 
Zezschwitz, whose children he was teaching, and in- 
stalled him in comfortable quarters for the weeks of 
rest. Here Stier's nature received some very whole- 
some impressions, both from associating with this 
noble-minded lady and her aged mother, and also 
from coming into contact with the here-flourishing 
religious life of the Zinzendorfians. One of the 
general results was to make him a less prejudiced 
Lutheran, and to give his religion a slightly more 
genial, unconfessional tinge. His mode of life here 
was, to study of forenoons while Rennecke was en- 
gaged in teaching, then of afternoons to take social 
walks with his friend or to go into society, and of 
evenings to read and discuss some author in which 
both were for the moment interested. It was during 
these evenings that Stier obtained his first taste of 
the genial writings of Zinzendorf Especially with 
the public worship of the sectaries of Zinzendorf 
was Stier delighted. The first Sunday after his ar- 
rival, he and his friend set out early in the morning 



104 Rudolf Stier. 

for Giiadenfrei, to attend the chief worship of this 
pious people. Their pecuhar and beautiful ritual — 
general prayer in responsive alternation between 
leader and congregation, here and there interspersed 
with brief hymns — stirred the deepest feelings of his 
heart. Of his impressions from the occasion he wrote 
as follows : — 

" So long as I was engaged in the service I could 
entirely forget what afterward unwelcomely occurred 
to me, namely, that also even this was with, many of 
the members a mere dead letter. But to me it became 
spirit and life, and I joined most heartily in the 
oft-recurring ' Hear us, dear Lord God ! ' And after 
this ritual introduction, the chief worship — at which 
I purpose to be present all the Sundays I shall spend 
here — proved to me a very rich blessing. The preach- 
er, a reverend, elderly man, spoke with heart-stirring 
power — at least for me. His theme was as to the 
higher legislation of the kingdom of heaven, which, 
sublime beyond this earthly order of things, calls only 
for pure, perfect love — which legislation is sealed with 
the blood of the Lawgiver himself, who can infuse 
into us from his own death the transforming power 
of divine love, which then renews and purifies the 
inner heart-ground, and thus becomes, in the outward 
life, the fulfillment of the law, until we finally come 
to rest on high, on the holy Sabbath, upon the bosom 
of the eternal love of Him who has loved us even 
unto death, and redeemed us unto himself The 
Lord made this sermon to me the very life of my 
heart ; and when I was again alone with my heart- 
friend, Rennecke, then we could freely weep and fall 



Deepejiing Piety. 1 05 

upon each other s neck, and, counting ourselves hap- 
py, consecrate ourselves afresh to the office whose 
function it is to herald this love. The Lord was 
with us, and our united heart-sigh was, ' Oyercome 
us entirely, thou Infinite Love, that we ourselves may 
live only in thee, and then with our testimony, 
through thy Spirit, be able to carry souls by storm, 
and attract and confirm them in thy blessedness be- 
fore their sinful nature can again rally to their 
defeat!'" 

Under the stimulation of his peculiar surroundings 
here, Stier made rapid advances in religious experi- 
ence and self-acquaintance. After having preached 
in a Lutheran Church of the neighborhood, he wrote 
to Ernestine : — 

" The matter went so far with me yesterday, dear 
sister, that I had to flee into solitude in order to 
give full vent to my feelings. There, in a magnifi- 
cent wooded, rock-bordered valley — a real natural 
temple — I passed a season of utter surrender to the 
infinite love of our Saviour. He gave me tears and 
a holy stirring up of the depths of my soul, rekind- 
ling in me more freshly than ever the ardor of my 
desire to serve him through him alone. Two days 
previously I had preached in a country church on 
the text, ' Not all who say unto me Lord, Lord,' etc. 
With ever-increasing vividness rises before my 
soul the seriousness of the sacred office. Surely I 
shall bring away from my sojourn here a great in- 
crease of heavenly grace ! How strange is the lot 
of the humble believer ! The Spirit moves -where it 
listeth ; but that it often can move only jnst where it 



ic6 Rudolf Stier. 

seems most unfavorable is of course simply the fault 
of our evil will, which resists it. Thus during my 
whole period in the seminary, where I had far more 
occasion to realize it, I have not by any means so 
clearly felt the significance of my calling as here in 
this retreat. From here I shall bring with me a 
wholly new (now for the first time really heart-felt) 
conception of what it signifies to be preparing to preach 
Christ, In this feeling I now daily live and look 
hopefully into the future, and I trust to the Lord that 
it shall never abandon me." 

But the sermon Stier delivered did not favorably 
impress Madam von Zezschwitz. She found it too 
censorious. Rudolf thus explained the matter to 
Ernestine : — 

" I have had quite a time with the 'gracious lady.' 
After my sermon on Sunday she appeared very silent, 
and even displeased. Later in the evening she told 
Rennecke that my manner had seemed to her entire- 
ly too loveless. You know that this has often been 
reproached to me at Wittenberg ; even my tone of 
voice is blamed in the same respect — you know in 
how far with good grounds. That this is too much 
the case I myself feel very deeply, and I pray the 
Lord with ever-increasing earnestness that he may 
eradicate from me every thing that is my own. But 
I also feel that much is thus characterized > in me 
which is really only a legitimate, yea, a required, ear- 
nestness for the truth. I feel also that it is precisely 
my gift and calling to preach more searchingly and 
earnestly than others. This is now a crying need, 
and I cannot give other than what the Lord gives 



Madam Von Zezschwitz. T07 

to me. Precisely after my most fervent prayers 
every thing assumes irresistibly this earnest form, 
so that I feel that it is given to me. And in this 
very sermon in question I had felt more thoroughly 
in communion with God, and therefore more anointed, 
than usual. The text was itself severely earnest. I 
had to unfold simply what was contained in the Word. 
I set out with a reference to the narrow way ; then 
I exposed the worthlessness of mere orthodox name- 
Christianity ; then I presented the requirement of 
the law in its full scope, which positively must be 
met by a thoroughly repentant, renewed, and faith-ex- 
ercising heart. In conclusion I directed to the 
Fountain of strength, and gave the proper comfort. 
While closing, my heart felt opened to prayer as 
rarely before. And novv^ to be met by this reproach ! 
It pained me not a little. I prayerfully re-read my 
sermon and could find nothing which did not seem 
tome to be the pure truth, truth specially needful in 
our present society. Afterward I had a long conver- 
sation with Madam von Zezschwitz ; and the more 
gently she explained herself, and the nearer we un- 
derstood each other, so much the worse did I feel for 
having so displeased her. Is it not true, dear sister, 
that the good Lord is graciously dealing pretty severe- 
ly with me } It is thus that he is directing me to 
earnest self-examination." 

The more Stier re-examined the matter the more he 
became satisfied that, in the main, his method was 
the correct one ; and he threw his conclusion into 
the following general maxim for his private conduct : 
to live thenceforth as if he had to be saved by keep- 



io8 Rudolf Stier. 

ing the law, and only for the past to rejoice in 
forgiving grace, but not to presume on it for the future. 
But he was very thankful to Lady Zezschwitz for her 
candid criticisms. As an expression of liis feelings 
toward her he acquainted her with his relations to 
Ernestine, and even permitted her to read her diary. 
For this presumption he excused himself in his next 
letter to Ernestine. " May I not hope," wrote he, 
'' that you will not take offense at it 1 You know 
you said to me at our parting, * To whomsoever you 
give it, to him I give it also.' And now I have taken 
advantage of this conceded liberty. Moreover the 
person is a truly sisterly soul, earnestly devoted to 
the Lord." Rudolf had himself not opened the diary 
during his journey, but only contemplated it from 
without, reserving it as a feast for his weeks of rest. 
But now he had for several days been testing the 
feast. Frequently when Rennecke, on unexpect- 
edly entering his room, found him in an unusually 
exalted mood, he would banteringly observe to him, 
" Surely you have just been reading in Ernestine's 
diary?" And Rudolf would joyously confess him- 
self guilty. 

On the subject of elegant literature, Stier had 
many earnest debates with Madam von Zezschwitz. 
She was a great admirer of the classics, of Schiller, 
Goethe, Shakspeare, and especially of Jean Paul and 
F. H. Jacobi, and was even fond of the theater. 
Stier's views we already know. He here reduced 
his conclusions to the general principle : " Whatever 
brings me not nearer to Jesus places me farther from 
him, and hence is sin ; the Christian's whole life 



A Pastoral Incident. 109 

should bear witness that he has no share in the sin- 
ful pleasures of the world." 

But this period of profitable relaxation for Stier 
was now approaching its close. The days began to 
seem long that retarded his seeing Ernestine. The 
mail was then quite irregular, requiring at best 
eleven days to bring a letter from Wittenberg. His 
joy at receiving an occasional letter was naive and 
unfeigned. At one time Rothe wrote to him, sending 
also a letter from Ernestine, and addressing them in 
care of Rennecke. The latter wrote thus to Ernes- 
tine of their arrival : '' I was to be the deliverer of 
your letter to your and my Rudolf; but not so. We 
had just returned from a walk, and I had hardly 
glanced at the letter as it lay on my table when he 
had already himself seized it and was off to his 
room, merely informing me in passing that it was 
from you. I wish you could yourself have been a 
witness of his joy." 

As the day for their separation drew near, Stier 
and Rennecke felt the need of partaking of the body 
and blood of the Lord together. They accordingly 
sought the acquaintance of a village pastor, Neu- 
mann, who was known to be warmly pious. He re- 
ceived and treated them very kindly. They called 
on him several times. His friendship showed itself 
once in an almost heroic manner. As they were all 
three plucking cherries, one day after dinner, in his 
garden, and Rudolf's stature was found a little too 
short for the occasion, the pastor quietly remarked, 
'' I must make that a little more convenient," and 
went for his ax, and, almost before the young men 



no Rudolf Stier. 

perceived what he vv'as about, had leveled a well- 
laden young tree at their feet. When they tried to 
show him that in this he had done wrong, he merely 
smiled and said, " If I had never committed a worse 
sin than that, I would think mvself more rio:hteous 
than all the saints in earth and heaven. Eat on, 
and never mind the tree : my ax is stiU sharp, if 
this one is not enough." The young men very nat- 
urally concluded that they would be welcomed by 
him also in another respect, and hence, without pre- 
vious notification, they presented themselves among 
his communicants the next Sabbath, and, after listen- 
ing to a touching exhortation, approached the Lord's 
table arm in arm, receiving the elements to their 
great comfort. 

In due time Rudolf found himself at Wittenberg, 
ha\-ing returned on foot, as he had come, but ha\^ng 
\'isited several relatives as weU as preached on his 
way. A: Vv':::enberg his occupation was now rather 
preaching and independent study than a regular 
hearing of the lectures. He was also ruminating 
over fresh Hterax}' projects. It was doubtless at first 
a mere joke when he had remarked to Rennecke, 
'' The next book I propose to write shall have for its 
object to prove that ever}- candidate for the ministry 
ought to have a bride ; I shall attempt to explain the 
great blessing of the Christian bride-state, or rather 
bridegroom-state. It shall be a new species of 
romance, but drawn from actual experience. Some- 
thing needs in fact to be done to counteract the soul- 
destroying influence of the worldly romance." But 
a not unrelated theme had already begun seriously 



A Confession, ill 

to engage his thoughts, namely, a formal retractation 
and refutation of all his youthful publications. His 
whole earlier life, as seen from his present stand- 
point, appeared to furnish matter for little else than 
simple regret. The frankness, and perhaps over- 
emphasis, with which he expressed this conviction 
to his friends give pleasing evidence of his tender- 
ness of conscience and of his thorough religious trans- 
formation. A letter written to a cousin — William 
Stier — reflects so aptly his present judgment of him- 
self, that, at the risk of slight repetition, we will here 
insert it. It reads : — 

" At the time when I came from Berlin to Halle I 
was filled with a spirit of proud, restless daring. At 
the bottom of my heart I was a frightful sinner ; let 
it suffice you when I now tell you, from clear con- 
viction, that such was the case. But my conscience 
was lulled to sleep, I wrote many verses, ruthlessly 
desecrating the sacred into the service of personal 
vanity, and presumptuously misusing my God-given 
powers. In the burschenschaft movement I strove 
to work for a new and better life, and yet I really 
knew not what I wanted. I always, foolishly 
enough, took for granted my own righteousness, 
and stood before myself and the world in the proud 
semblance of virtue, when my heart was full of 
wretchedness. From this period date my ' Croco- 
dile-eggs ' — a wretched compound of the half-true 
and the false. Only a single calm, heavenly image 
stood then before my soul, and supported and in- 
spired me, and was the source of all that was gentle, 
and not evil, in me — the image of Pauline. No one 



112 Rudolf Stier. 

knew of it. Then came the news of her deatJi. 
That was as a thunder-clap in a noon-day of spring ; 
it was the first violent giving-way of my rude nature- 
energy. William ! a great experience took place in 
me then. I took my first earnest look at the vanity 
of every thing earthly, and glanced into the earnest 
yon-side which awaits us alL And one thinks and 
feels this at the mouth of such a grave, much more 
truly than it is ever talked about in books and 
poems. O that I had faithfully hearkened to this 
first voice ! But this stroke did not yet conquer me. 
After the first shock, I fell back to my old self I 
even delighted in my pain and attributed to myself 
merit for it. I celebrated it in verse. The divine 
truth rebounded away from my obdurate heart. 
Christ doubtless stood then nearer to my soul than 
before, and yet I only ijtterwove him into my vain 
poetizing and writing. From this period date my 
* Tales and Dreams.' I was quite unwilling to 
recognize my own moral corruption, and to deny 
myself; I needed to be yet more deeply bowed and 
broken. In the summer following I was at home in 
Stolpe, and caused my parents much needless grief 
by my manifold whims. I separated myself, indeed, 
from the world at large, in my vain fancy, as a Chris- 
tian, but really only as a self-willed simpleton. 
There was taking place within me a severe strug- 
gle with sin, though no one knew any thing ' of 
it. I presumed to talk boldly of every thing, and 
was yet really settled in nothing. Of humility and 
love I knew very little — feeling it only occasionally 
in hours of unusual introspection ; and here I usually 



Book of Retractations, 1 1 3 

mistook the desire of it for the having of it. Then I 
came a second time to Berlin ; this led to my new 
birth. A severe sickness — the result of my sins — 
confronted me now with the open yon-side, whither 
Pauline had gone. And now it became earnest, ear- 
nest, for my very life, William ! Now I recognized 
my own nothingness^ my unbounded misery ; and 
now melted away, as dross in a glov/ing fire, every 
remnant of self-conceit. God became near to me in 
prayer^ in agonizing prayer from the depths of bodily 
and spiritual peril. And now I recognized God's 
eternal love in Christ, in contrast with which all else 
is vain, and for which alone can live and die hence- 
forth whoever has once experienced it," etc. 

But the contemplated book of retractations was 
never completed. After laboring long upon it, and 
endeavoring in it not only to correct the errors of 
his earlier works, but also to construct in their stead 
a solid system of Christian principles, he became 
convinced that in the very interest of his primary- 
purpose he had better leave it unpublished. And 
yet every time he saw, circulating in the journals, 
humorous squibs from his youthful pen, or sarcastic 
verses, he felt tempted to carry out his first design. 

Meanwhile his relations to Ernestine Nitzsch 
had continued to grow closer. The free mutual 
communication of all that concerned their inner 
lives, the associating, by letter or otherwise, with so 
many mutual friends, inevitably contributed to this. 
Rudolf had repeatedly asked Ernestine whether he 
might not soon hope for a more definitive answer, 
confident that the Lord would ere lonir make the 



114 Rudolf Stier. 

path of duty plain to them both. A garden inter- 
view on the evening of October 23, 1822, had 
brought a great blessing to both of them. Rudolf 
had endeavored to help her give up all spiritual fear 
and trust herself with perfect confidence to the love of 
God. He had told her of his ov/n growing joy in his 
chosen life-work, and of his increasing consciousness 
of the need of a gentle helpmeet in its duties, and 
that, even should it be the Lord's will that her love 
should remain simply that of a sister, still she would 
always be the chosen Rachel of his heart. Her ill 
health soon recurring, their association was mostly 
limited to letters. But these passed in abundance, 
and it was this frequent written interchange of heart- 
thoughts that, more than any thing else, contributed 
to dispel the last doubts of Ernestine. Thus far she 
had felt in conscience bound to preface her letters 
with some such qualifying address as this : " By 
myself not at all, but in the Lord greatly, beloved 
Rudolf!" But now she began to feel no less con- 
science-bound to leave out the qualification, and it 
was not long until her conscience ceased altogether 
to be a barrier. And the advice of esteemed rela- 
tives contributed to render her conviction more de- 
cisive still. One who had thoroughly studied her 
inner life wrote to her unhesitatingly : " It seems to 
me that I have noticed still another circumstance 
which distinguishes this suitor from all those who 
have thus far sought your hand : over all the others 
your spirit was master ; but to this one you are 
yourself subordinate. If this is really so and deeply 
grounded, yotc may still hesitate and doubt as much 



The Yes I for Life. 1 1 5 

as you please, but in heaven the matter is decided, 
especially if his heart is certain and confident." 
Ernestine could but feel the force of this. On the 
tenth of February she consented to give the well- 
considered Yes ! for life. 

The effect on Rudolf may well be imagined. 
Those who saw him on his coming from Ernestine's 
presence, and the days following, aver never to have 
seen in him or any one else such a brightened, such 
a transfigured, look of inner happiness. 

On Ernestine the result was nearly the sam.e, though 
with a very different outward expression. Two days 
after the decision she wrote to Rudolf: — 

" With me it is so still, and yet so entirely other- 
wise than as I had anticipated when I thought of 
this possibility. How gently also Jesus comes to us 
now — ^just as he acted when upon earth. Human 
eyes about me here will certainly not perceive that 
so great an event has taken place within me ; and 
yet, dear, dear Life, I think I clearly perceive, pre- 
cisely in this stillness, Christ's peace-seal wherewith 
he stamps us — you and me as one soul — as his Bride. 
How all this is His own work ! If I could only show 
it to you as I myself see it, how would it appear a 
victory of His Spirit, reversing my very inner nature, 
in order now to give me to you ! In my own nature 
there was something utterly averse to our union ; 
this I only very gradually fully perceived ; but 
then I was enabled with increased earnestness to 
pray that if any natural disposition in me stood 
in His way, it might be overcom.e by his power ; 
for I knew that nothing in me could be a final 

9 



ii6 Rudolf Stier. 

obstacle, and so I besought that he might overcome 
\\.from witliin. And it deeply touches my heart how 
He now does this, and ever increasingly — how he 
opens my eyes to the /^/// harmony and unity of our 
bridal relation to him, (the eternal Bridegroom of our 
souls,) with our bridal relation to each other. In your 
future life as it hes before me I see, humanly speak- 
ing, no easy course — not merely in so far as all who 
belong to Christ must take upon themselves the 
dear cross, but especially in that His chosen wit- 
nesses have to follow so closely in his own sacred 
footsteps. But O ! should we not gladly kiss the 
hol}^ ground on which His dear feet have trodden 
before us, even though it be stained with blood ! " 

So calmly as this, Rudolf could not take the mat- 
ter. No familiar eye could fail to perceive the un- 
wonted elasticity of the step which, now and hence- 
forth, bore him to the stately ivy-clad residence 
of the venerable father of Ernestine. But there 
remained yet one weighty question to be put. On 
the part of his own parents he apprehended no ob- 
jection ; he had indeed already obtained their as- 
sent. Also Ernestine's mother, much as she was in 
need of care and help, interposed no objection, and 
readily gave to her daughter's chosen a son's place 
in her heart. As regards the grave-mannered, 
formal Dr. Nitzsch, however, the matter wore a 
quite serious aspect, and none who knew his 
ways anticipated a very prompt or readily-obtained 
consent. 

The attempt, however, had to be made, and that, 
too, in due form ; and Rudolf finally nerved himself 



Asking for a Bride, 1 1 7 

for the task. Accordingly on the ninth of March, 
after receiving an important but undecisive letter 
from his father in regard to a position as teach ef, he 
called on the venerable Doctor — for the first time not 
on mere seminary business. The old gentleman re- 
ceived him very quietly, seated at his desk and in 
study-gown. After listening to the business of the 
young man, he answered him in his peculiarly meas- 
ured manner, and quite in the good old spirit of the 
former age. '' The matter," he observed, " was as 
good as new to him ; it was a principle with him, 
however, never to interfere with the choice of his 
daughters, and in the present case he had not the 
least objection to make to the person of the suitor ; 
nevertheless he would have to hold equally fast to 
his own ^x.^^ principle, not to consent to any full or 
public betrothal with his daughter until the suitor 
should be permanently settled in his calling, and 
thus ' have need of a housewife.' " 

Discouraging as this decision at first sounded, it 
was soon slightly modified. Mother Nitzsch and her 
son William, a warm friend of Rudolf, succeeded in 
obtaining the father s consent, in so far as that Ru- 
dolf should be at liberty to impart the state of the 
case to his friends, and that he should be freely ad- 
mitted into the circle of more distant relatives, and 
for the future be unrestricted in his visits to Ernes- 
tine at her home, as also in his correspondence with 
her. 

Soon after this, on his twenty-third birth-day, he 
received his formal dismissal from the seminary — 
seven and a half years after he had begun to hear 



ii8 Rudolf Stier. 

lectures at Berlin. Six precious weeks longer he 
tarried in Wittenberg, almost daily in the society of 
Ernestine and of her large circle of friends. In 
some respects these were, as may well be imagined, 
the happiest days of his life. If Rennecke could 
once exclaim to Stier in Silesia, ''How strangely 
gentle you have become!" — how astonished would 
he have been could he now have looked in upon him 
as he passed his afternoons in garden- walks with 
Ernestine ! The day of his departure to the distant 
home of his parents he put off as long as practicable. 
But it finally arrived. After being accompanied a 
short distance by his bride and other friends, he set 
out, amid joy and tears, for the province of Gumbin- 
nen, which was to be the scene of his activity for 
some time to come. 



CHAPTER VIII. 

Teaches in Lithuania — Marriage — ^Journey to 

Basle. 



<5^r 



[May, 1823, to Nov., 1824.] 

'T was on the 4th of May, 1823, that Stier left 
M Wittenberg. On the ist of July he entered 
upon the duties of third teacher in the Lithu- 
anian normal school, Karalene, near Gumbinnen. 
This had been brought about thus : 

Months previously his father, out of a natural 
desire to see his son stationed near him, had written 
to him in regard to certain desirable pedagogic po- 
sitions that were to be filled. After fully satisfying 
himself as to the duties of the vacant position at 
Karalene, Rudolf decided to apply for it. Difficul- 
ties having been raised in regard to his political 
sentiments, as to whether he had sufficiently aban- 
doned his former demagogic radicalism, he drew up 
and submitted to the appointing authorities a full 
statement of his present views, without, however, in 
the least sacrificing his honest convictions or making 
any unmanly promises. The document satisfied the 
officials that the royal government would suffer no 
serious damage from his employment, and according- 
ly the appointment was made and fifty thalers trav- 
eling money at once dispatched to him before he left 
Wittenberg. This much by way of explanation. 



I20 Rudolf Stier, 

On his way to Gumbinnen Rudolf made several 
very important acquaintances, especially in Berlin 
and Danzig. In the latter city he met for the first 
time an older sister of Ernestine, JuHa Gernhard, 
and her clerical husband. With his visit in their 
home he was greatly delighted, and in some respects 
profited. After he had been with them several days 
he wrote to Ernestine : — 

" I am receiving a multitude of new ideas. It 
seems to me that I now first begin correctly to un- 
derstand the earnest, but gentle and intimate, rela- 
tion of the true Christian to the world, and to learn 
how to practice humility and love in their full truth. 
As yet, however, I see that I am infinitely far from 
possessing them ; but a deep desire is assuredly 
awakened in me for them, and I have a thorough 
abhorrence of all self-will and merely self-prompted 
work. My visit here at Gernhard' s has proved ex- 
ceedingly interesting to me in this respect. I am 
here really learning to appreciate the good elements 
of the natural man — do not shake your head, my 
dear — I mean the good traits of him who lives under 
Christian influences and is already possessed of a 
kind of general piety, but whom we usually name, 
in contradistinction to the clearly converted, a 
merely natii7'al man — as I now think not entirely 
justly. I here clearly perceive the necessity of pa- 
tient waiting, of being contented with that which 
now is, and of leaving further development to the 
promptings of God's Spirit. I see the wisdom of 
speaking but little, and of suggesting the higher life 
rather by the potent speech of silent example. In 



Heart-revelations. 1 2 1 

these few days I have been greatly profited by my 
growing acquaintance with Juha. Despite her natu- 
ral disinclination to speak of such matters, she seems 
to take it as a matter of course that as soon as we 
are alone our conversation shall be of the inner 
life, save when, as yesterday, we take a walk over the 
hills, and she is wholly occupied in showing me the 
scenery. This walk in question was really splendid. 
You ought to have seen us on our stroll. She has, 
in fact, become quite communicative; for example, 
she has told me the whole story of her first love, and 
of the progress of her relation to Gernhard. Spirit- 
ual life there really is in Julia ; she is in communion 
with God, and honestly guides her life in reference to 
him, so far as she sees her duty. Alas ! the deeper 
insight God only can give. And how hard it is for 
the old nature to accept what He would fain give, we 
know only too well. This morning I was present Vv^ith 
Gernhard and a few officials at the dedication of a 
new church in Weichselmiinde — the first time I had 
witnessed such a ceremony. But it was all hollow 
and empty to me, and gave me earnest thoughts of 
my future calhng to purify the desecrated temple. 
But patient waiting is my best business now ; and 
yet my heart burns within me when I see the abom- 
inations that surround me, and I am tempted to rush 
forth and cry aloud. And then recurs to me again 
the thought of my own worthlessness, so that all 
desire for preaching abandons me, and I feel capable 
only of weeping in silence at the blindness of Chris- 
tians and pastors. Verily, only Christ can anoint 
me for an evangelist. But I feel confident that he 



122 Rudolf Stier. 

will do it at his ov^qi time. Amen ! May his will 
be done ! It now appears to me that the highest 
wisdom of the Christian who would influence the 
world is, to say the most without words, and to con- 
centrate what is said into the briefest and most 
forcible expression." 

The next important resting-place on his eastward 
journey was Konigsberg. Here he met his old friend 
Olshausen, and through him made the acquaintance 
of Bishop Borowski, and of the deeply spiritual, but 
rather too innovating, pastors, Diestel and Ebel. 
From what he saw here he felt like designating 
Konigsberg as the " head-quarters " of the kingdom 
of God in Eastern Prussia, and regarding himself as 
about to stand, at Karalene, on the frontier "out- 
post" with Konigsberg as his '' base." 

On arriving at home he found many things changed. 
He had been absent nearly four years. He had been 
breathing the warmest religious atmosphere of Ger- 
many. Here he soon felt that he could hope for but 
little sympathy with his inner life. But he deter- 
mined, by the potency of a good example, to do the 
utmost to awaken the people to a higher conscious- 
ness. Especially it troubled him to see his aged 
mother largely oppressed, and even saddened, by the 
severe duties of her outward life. In the pastors of 
Gumbinnen he found little or no Christian life. One 
or two, however, were quite kindly disposed, and 
offered him their pulpit. He accepted the courtesy, 
and preached for the first time on the 8th of June, 
not without considerable trepidation, but in full con- 
fidence that the Lord would speak through his feeble 



Preaches at Ho7ne, 12^ 

effort. From the detailed account of it sent to Er- 
nestine we condense the following : — 

'*The Lord gave me fresh evidence yesterday 
that, despite my utter worthlessness, he would yet 
be witnessed for through me. Would that he would 
but give me a firm, victorious faith, and enable me 
henceforth to live only for him and entirely to forget 
myself in his service ! The large church was yester- 
day filled to overflowing. The government officials 
had sent their servants an hour beforehand to preserve 
places for them. After the service my father named 
quite a number whom he had never before seen at 
church. Candidates for the ministry have often 
preached here before, and my father's explana- 
tion of the large audience, namely, that it was 
in compliment to his family, is not fully correct. 
With some it may have been mere curiosity. But I 
know the best explanation : the Lord sent out the 
people to hear his Gospel. I can truly say the Lord 
was with me as never before. I have queried whether 
I ought not to send this sermon to you, and have 
concluded to do so. You will see from it that every 
one who heard it could understand his duty, even if 
this were his only sermon. Such is Franckes view 
of what every sermon ought to be. My mother and 
sister came to me at once into the sacristy. Both 
seemed to have been in tears ; also my father kissed 
and embraced me in great emotion, but without say- 
ing any thing. But the Lord only knows how much 
of this seed will silently grow up. I have already 
heard, here and there, of some happy impressions. 
Soon after the service the chief physician of the 



124 Rudolf Stier. 

town came to our house and complimented me, 
saying that hereafter he would never miss an occasion 
to hear me. I heard my father say that he was 
certain of this much — that every one must have felt 
that I spoke right out from my heart. Our house- 
keeper said to me, on her return from the church : 
' You have told us many good things ; would that now 
we would only do them ! ' Pardon me, Ernestine, if 
I take too much delight in gathering up for you all 
these little joy^blossoms from the Lord." 

Meanwhile Stier had entered on the duties of 
his chair in the normal school, (teachers-seminary.) 
The corps of instruction consisted of five — two above 
Stier and two below him. The students numbered 
usually about thirty. The instruction bore a relig- 
ious as well as a secular character. The daily order 
of exercises was about as follows : Rising at five 
o'clock, morning-prayers at half past five, conducted 
in turn by the teachers, upon which followed three or 
four hours of instruction in the forenoon. The chief 
subjects which Stier taught were sacred and profane 
history and Latin literature. The time which re- 
mained after his seminary duties he employed on his 
long since begun revision of the German Bible, and 
in other theological studies. But this time was not 
very considerable. Having adopted the principle, 
*' Either thoroughly or not at all," he found himself 
ccm.pelled to spend much time in the preparation of 
his lectures, especially those on history. His inter- 
est in his work grew with each day. But he did not 
forget his sacred calling ; he endeavored as much as 
possible to give to even the most secular instruction 



Consecration . 125 

a religious bearing. In October he wrote to a friend 
that he was growing more and more fond of his 
students, and that he had become resigned even to 
the purely secular part of his work, believing that 
the Lord had called him here to inure him in the 
practice of patience and of inner holiness. With his 
colleagues he stood on a very pleasant outward foot- 
ing, although they thought him in some respects a 
little strange, not being able, for example, to compre- 
hend his unwillingness to go through a catechetical 
process with his students for the mere practice of 
the form. Spiritual sympathy he found only in the 
second teacher, Preuss, and in his gifted lady. In 
the circle of their little family he soon felt quite at 
home — so much so that he finally brought Lady 
Preuss into a delightful correspondence with Ernes- 
tine. After attending the communion service in a 
neighboring village with Preuss and his lady, he 
wrote of his religious feelings to Ernestine : — 

** I was enabled to dedicate myself in thorough 
humility to God. I could offer him fervent prayer 
for heart-sanctification, that I might be enabled 
boldly to bear witness to the truth in a fallen church. 
I prayed for a thorough breaking up of all pride, for 
perfect patience, nay, also for pain and suffering, if I 
needed them for my good. I could and did pray 
the Lord to take us from each other here below — 
me from you or yo2i from me — rather than that we 
should not fully enough serve him. But he gave 
me sweet and comforting answer. And if I only 
possess my soul in patience this quiet year, it will 
doubtless grow much better with me still. Perhaps 



1.26 Rudolf Stier. 

within a year from now I shall be consecrated to 
celebrate the Lord's Supper myself! Ernestine, I 
must become a preacher, it cannot possibly be other- 
wise, however unworthy I am. Indeed, the Lord 
alone will be the worker in any case. Until then I 
cannot have full peace ; and He who has now clearly 
given me this call will provide for all, and seek out 
for us our congregation." 

But he did not wait, to begin the cure of souls, 
until he should have a church of his own. He en- 
deavored to commence the work at once among his 
students. In February, 1824, he could write "that 
the joys of his office constantly increased. He knew 
of three already who were mourning for their sins, 
and several others had begun to open their hearts to 
him. His heart throbbed with joy at the sight of 
these first fruits of his prayers. How good it was to 
be faithful there on a small scale, before the heavier 
responsibilities should come upon him ! " 

The arrival of Easter, 1824, found Stier busily oc- 
cupied v/ith two plans for the attaining of an object 
that lay near his heart — his union with Ernestine. 
The one was to effect such a modification in the 
seminary building as to permit him to have a home 
of his own ; the second was to secure ordination, 
and at once look about for a pastoral charge. 

In order to the ordination he needed to prepare 
elaborate Latin dissertations, to undergo a rigid 
examination, and to preach a trial sermon. His re- 
lations with high-standing clerical parties in Konigs- 
berg suggested this as a suitable place for his pur- 
pose. For besides his personal acquaintances, a 



Trial Sermons. 127 

book which he had written at Wittenberg, " Hints 
for the True Understanding of the Scriptures,"* had 
just appeared at Konigsberg, and created for him a 
very favorable impression. AppHcation was accord- 
ingly made. The Consistory had given him favor- 
able answer, and sent him a programme of the 
essays and other requirements that would be made 
of him. But after much preparation, and a full settle- 
ment of most of the details of manner and time, the 
whole project made utter shipwreck on a seemingly 
insignificant shoal — much to the chagrin of some of 
Stier's friends, but in a manner very characteristic 
of the man. The shoal was simply this. It was re- 
quired that Stier should preach before the official 
examiners a specimen sermon. At first he had given 
little attention to this feature. As soon, however, as 
he seriously thought of it, it assumed the proportions 
of a formidable obstacle. It was strictly of a piece 
with the conscientious scruples he, had had under 
similar circumstances at Wittenberg, as also more 
recently at Karalene. It was utterly abhorrent to his 
nature to treat the sacred office, even momentarily, 
as a mere external routine. On this point he was 
absolutely inflexible. After having elaborately and 
candidly set forth his views, and having learned in 
answer that while the matter would, in accommoda- 
tion to his feelings, be modified as much as prac- 
ticable, yet it coujd not legally be entirely dispensed 
with, he saw himself forced to let the whole project 
fall to the groundo 

Though many persons thought this course very 

^ Andcutu7tgen^ etc. 1824. 



128 Rudolf Stt.er. 

strange, and could not comprehend why a man 
should, for a mere formality, defeat his own cherished 
purpose, yet his better friends only esteemed him for 
it all the more. Olshausen and Ebel bade him God- 
speed, and said that it was really grand to see him 
thus assail the detestable Pharisaic usages of the 
day! He therefore felt perfectly quieted as to the 
step he had taken, and never afterward regretted it. 
Unfortunately, the precedent of his example has to 
this day had no effect in modifying the usage of the 
Prussian Church in this respect. 

This project having failed, Stier gave himself with 
renewed devotion to his duties as educator of future 
teachers — all the more so as he now hoped soon to 
have a fireside of his own. He wrote to a friend 
shortly after this that he was now glad to have fur- 
ther opportunity to make a more thorough prepara- 
tion before entering upon the responsibilities of 
the pastoral office. The religious phase of his in- 
fluence here in Karalene had assumed now a still 
greater importance. Only out of a thorough convic- 
tion that he was obeying a still higher duty, would 
he now accept a call to any other field. 

With especial alacrity he now also volunteered all 
possible counsel and help to those who had charge 
of preparing a suitable reception place for his ex- 
pected bride. At first they thought of hiring for 
him a little house apart from the seminary. No 
sooner was this contemplated than Rudolf indulged 
the pleasure of giving it a thorough survey, and of 
writing a full description of it to Ernestine. True, 
said he, it had but a straw-roof, but it was in other 



Preparing the Nest, 129 

respects white and clean, neatly fenced and furnished 
with shade-trees, with seats under them for taking 
their coffee on summer evenings. Besides, it had 
about it ground enough for a few specimens of 
Ernestine's favorite flowers, and it enjoyed a fine 
prospect down the broad road toward Gumbinnen. 
In all, it contained four or five little apartments — 
almost an Episcopal palace ! 

A little later, March 7, he wrote to her substan- 
tially : 

" I have a lively presentiment of how we shall feel 
at our mutual re-having — would that there were a 
special word for it ! The time between our parting 
and meeting again will seem as if occupied merely 
by a deep, but salutary and wonderfully renovating, 
dream. I would that our re-association may be such 
that those who shall see us, and attempt to judge us 
by ordinary standards, may be puzzled to understand 
us — that our behavior may be so rational and calm 
that they may at first even doubt the genuineness 
of our love, but afterward be led to perceive pre- 
cisely in its gently transfiguring influence its deep- 
reaching potency — in a word, that we may rightly 
honor the Lord in our renewed association, so that 
all who see us may feel something of that look 
wherewith we already take in the whole scope of 
being, and contemplate our life as hid with Christ in 
eternity. Yozi understand my feelings. I purposely 
set up this high standard of conduct because I al- 
ready feel myself naturally too much inclined to the 
opposite. Finally, this much is clear : that we shall 
soon embrace each other in the Lord, and that then 



130 Rudolf Stier. 

he will either fulfill or not fulfill our hopes, accord- 
ing as is most for our good and his glory." 

As yet, as we know, Stier had from Ernestine's 
father only a merely passive consent to their betrothal. 
The time seemed now come for a more formal under- 
standing. Accordingly he sat down, on his birth-day, 
March 23, 1824, and wrote to the parents of Ernes- 
tine. He explained himself more fully to the mother, 
presenting at large the reasons that seemed to favor 
an early union with her daughter. To the father, 
against v/hom he had just recently in his '' Hints " 
appeared as a theological opponent, he uttered him- 
self much more calmly and in a becomingly respect- 
ful, filial spirit, as follows : 

" Worthy Sire : With profound respect, and with 
the filial hope that this message may find you in 
restored health, I venture to-day, after the lapse of 
almost a year since I left Wittenberg, to approach 
you with the renewal of my petition for the hand of 
your (and in joyous hope already my) Ernestine. 
Would that I could approach you verbally, as in the 
first case ! And yet I beg your worthiness to receive 
favorably the written words wherewith alone I can 
now express my wishes, before they can come to 
their fulfillment. Look upon it, I beg you, with pa- 
ternal indulgence if I, now that circumstances seem 
to justify it, conclude that I need no longer hesitate 
to ask permission to take your beloved daughter, ac- 
cording to God's ordinance, from the house of her 
parents, to be a help-meet for me in my solitude. 

" My present office promises much spiritual good 



I 



Petition to Dr. Nitzsch. 131 

to young receptive hearts, who in their turn will go 
forth to sow the good seed here received. I am 
growing more and more delighted with it. As I do 
not, however, wish to neglect theology, but, on the 
contrary, to finish here certain theological labors, be- 
fore entering upon the pastoral office, hence I am 
called on for very severe toil, so much so that my 
heart feels an all the deeper need of the joys and 
consolations of wedded communion. Your worthi- 
ness will therefore find it very natural that I cannot 
well endure the thought of a very prolonged post- 
ponement of my union with your beloved daughter. 
I have also made the possibility of my marrying a 
condition of my remaining here much longer, and 
have received the warmest assurances. Hence, 
apart from unforeseen possible obstacles, I conclude 
that I have sufficient warrant to justify my now invok- 
ing your fatherly benediction upon our union. Though 
I know well enough what an important help I would 
be taking from your house, still I cannot but earnestly 
wish for the definitive sealing of the bond wherewith 
God has already made our hearts one. That your 
daughter will find in me a husband who considers 
her love an exceedingly precious blessing, and who 
is devoted to her with his whole heart, and looks to 
find in her the happiness and bliss of his earthly 
life, I need not here assure you in words ; and my 
Ernestine fully knows it. Even should she for the 
present leave father and mother and give up the care 
of the remaining children, yet perhaps Providence 
will, ere long, bring us back to your midst. 

'* However this maybe, I now earnestly renew my 
JO 



132 Rudolf Stier. 

filial petition that you will pronounce your paternal 
benediction upon our union, and that you will consent 
that I come to Wittenberg at the opening of July 
to receive it solemnly before the nuptial altar ; for at 
a later period than this, the ungenial climate would 
make it injudicious to make the journey. I unite 
with Ernestine in kissing your hand, and I confi- 
dently await your early approbation. My own parents, 
fully consenting to my purpose, send to you their 
most respectful greetings. And now permit me, 
joyously anticipating the time when I shall be fully 
received into your family, to sign myself affectionately 
and respectfully, your son, R. Stier." 

Although not without anxiety as to the result upon 
the somewhat peculiar and cautiously-moving father, 
the answer which Rudolf so earnestly hoped for soon 
came to hand, and entirely to his satisfaction. And 
yet circumstances soon arose, especially the ill-health 
of Ernestine's sister, Louise, which made Stier ear- 
nestly reflect whether he ought not to put off the 
marriage to a later date. The almost unexpected 
generosity of the father in giving so early a consent 
seemed an additional reason why both Rudolf and 
Ernestine should voluntarily propose a longer delay. 
They, in fact, postponed the time of their marriage 
until the spring of 1825. This had the further advan- 
tage that the early months of their wedded life would 
not be passed in the dreary Lithuanian autumn and 
winter, but in the cheery months of spring. 

But the Lord had still richer blessings in store for 
them than they had anticipated. Not in the com- 



Influence in Karale7ie, 133 

paratively ungenial soil of eastern Prussia, but on the 
borders of south-western Germany, lay the fair field in 
which this yourig pair were to begin their united work 
for the kingdom of God. Unexpected to all parties, 
there came now to Stier a call to occupy a chair in 
the Mission Seminary at Basle. Before speaking 
in detail of this, however, we will cast a brief glance 
at Stier s relations to his own family, at his further 
labors in Karalene, and at his literary activity. 

As to his relations to the members of his family, 
they did not become so intimate and cordial as he 
could have wished. Notwithstanding his frequent 
opportunities of associating with them, he always 
felt an oppressive consciousness of not being under- 
stood. In Gumbinnen he had frequent opportunities 
of preaching, though some of the pastors looked 
upon him as a dangerous "mystic." Of any very 
deep impression from his sermons he found no very 
clear trace ; but he contented himself with the 
thought that the day of final reckoning might show 
that they were not entirely without fruits. 

As to his pedagogic labors, he continued to give 
them more and more a religious bearing, and he 
took much more interest in every thing relating to 
modern thought and life than in the ancient classics. 
His official and private relations with the Preuss 
family were a source of great religious comfort. The 
fruits of his faithfulness here appeared, after many 
days, in the efficient labors of not a few Christian- 
minded teachers of youth. 

As to literary work, he found time to make con- 
siderable progress on his already begun elucidations 



134 Rudolf Stier. 

of the Scriptures. His plan now was to make it a 
consecutive commentary on the whole Bible — at the 
rate of one volume a year through life ! His earlier 
manner of studiously avoiding all help but his lexi- 
cons and his Hebrew and Greek texts he now con- 
siderably modified ; he procured, among other ex- 
egetes, the works of Pfenninger, Schubert, and Von 
Meyer. His volume of " Hints " was quite favorably 
received by all spiritually-minded Christians. To 
Von Meyer, from whose works he had received large 
profit, he sent a copy, accompanied by a letter grate- 
fully acknowledging his spiritual indebtedness ; and 
he received a very encouraging letter in reply : — 

" I rejoice," wrote Von Meyer, *'that the Lord has 
so largely benefited you through my labors, as also 
that you are prompted to independent investigations 
under the guidance of our common Master. I re- 
joice also that my hope, that the Holy Spirit would 
awaken other writers to carry out in greater fullness 
the brief suggestions that I have made, is being 
realized. And even should I be surpassed and 
taught myself by them, I would only esteem it pure 
gain, as I seek not my own honor, but that of the 
Lord, and am glad to learn from any one who is 
taught of the Spirit. We are, indeed, but as candles 
which, after being lighted by one another, are then 
fed by the common air, and continue thenceforth to 
burn each for itself. Furthermore, I cannot express 
how much I am rejoiced that my words have not 
only helped you in wisdom, but have also furthered 
you in that experimental knowledge which frees from 
sin and renews the heart ; for indeed holiness is the 



Schmieder, 135 

chief thing of all and the mother of spiritual illumi- 
nation. From all which you can see how much I ' 
have been delighted at the book and letter you so 
kindly sent me." 

And the impression made by the book upon other 
gifted friends of Stier was of the same encouraging 
character. Only as to Stier s m.anner of stating the 
doctrine of the atonement did some of Stier's friends 
take issue with him. After a careful re-examina- 
tion of the subject he considerably modified his posi- 
tion. Among the highly-prized appreciations of the 
" Hints '' which Stier received was that of the gifted 
young divine, Schmieder, a relative of the Nitzsch 
family. He wrote that he had been greatly profited 
by the book. In the main he agreed with Stier, and 
rejoiced to find clearly developed in his book many 
deep spiritual views which he had thus far possessed 
only in an indefinite germinal state. He was glad 
that the fire of the Lord had melted over and purified 
the noble metal of Stier's nature, and he hoped that 
he would follow up this first bloom of his gifts with 
many other rich fruits which might prove healing 
balm for multitudes of souls. 

Between Schmieder and Stier there soon sprang 
up a very animated interchange of theological views, 
though on some points, especially that of the atone- 
ment, they could not as yet fully agree. 

About the time of the publication of the " Hints " 
Stier was delighted to find many of his own views 
similarly expressed in a little work of Olshausen : 
*' A Deeper Insight into the Scriptures." " Surely 
the sun of the Lord," exclaims he, ** is rising upon 



136 * Rudolf Stier. 

our theology and Church, and I have the privilege 
of contributing my humble mite thereto ! " 

It was under these circumstances, now, when 
Stier had just re-entered upon his pedagogic duties 
with fresh zeal, when he had joyously resumed work 
upon a Commentary that was laid out on a grand 
scale, and when he stood in fruitful correspondence 
with a circle of young rising theologians of North 
Germany, that an unexpected call came inviting him 
to an important chair in the prosperous Mission 
Seminary at Basle. 

This call, which came to hand at the close of May, 
1824, had been brought about thus. A vacancy 
having occurred in the seminary in January, a 
committee was charged with looking about for a 
suitable practical theologian to fill it. After having 
sought in vain a man in Wlirtemberg, they ad- 
dressed themselves to the missionary-spirited 01- 
shausen. Olshausen felt compelled to decHne the 
call for himself, but warmly recommended the young 
author of the just issued " Hints." After a general 
account of S tier's life, learning, style of preaching, 
and practical acquaintance with school matters, he 
continued thus : — 

" But above all he is a friend of the Lord, and that, 
too, not in a half-and-half way as many now are, but 
he is a thoroughly converted man, who has undergone 
the severe ordeal of self-abnegation, and is now ear- 
nestly striving for the pearl of pearls — a most ex- 
cellent man in every respect, and one whom the 
Lord will make of great service, be it where it may. 
I have an extensive Christian acquaintance in North 



Call to Basle, 137 

Germany ; but I know of no one so suitable for a 
post requiring such manifold gifts, such wisdom and 
thoroughness, as Rudolf Stier. I felt in conscience 
bound to write this to you ; I could not forgive my- 
self had I failed to direct your attention to the pos- 
sibility of obtaining him." 

The letter of invitation which President (Inspector) 
Blumhardt of the Basle Seminary sent to Stier was 
substantially as follows : — 

"Basle, May 14, 1824. 

" Honored Brother in the Lord : How strange 
are the ways of the Lord with his children ! We 
have no personal acquaintance with you, nor you 
with us, and yet we feel as if we had known you for 
the last twenty years, and we now venture to ap- 
proach you with a weighty proposal. Our friend, 
Professor Olshausen, has already kindly opened and 
prepared the way for us, and we now most cheer- 
fully solicit of you the service first asked of him. Do 
you feel ready to accept, in the name of the Lord, 
the vacant position in our seminary 1 We know 
well enough, dear brother, that this must be with you 
a matter of faith rather than of sight. But we hope 
you will at once recognize in this question the voice 
of the Lord. This full conviction of duty on your 
part is all the more necessary, as the nature of this 
mission-work requires not merely an assumption of 
moral duties, but a positive spiritual marriage to the 
work, so that your love to it shall be as the love of 
bride to bridegroom. In other words, the work re- 
quires not merely a conscientious performance, but 
an inner love to it. The duties of the post will be, 



138 Rudolf Stier. 

the elucidation of the Scriptures of the Old and New 
Testaments in the original languages, and the teach- 
ing of secular and profane history, as well as a large 
degree of general Christian influencing of our stu- 
dents. The salary — 514 thalers with free house — is 
no great inducement. But it affords us an opportu- 
nity of practicing the missionary spirit here at home, 
so that also in this respect our pupils may see in us 
an example. 

" Another important question : You have a beloved 
bride, as friend Olshausen informs us. She also has 
a right to be consulted. What will she — whom, 
though unknown^ we fraternally greet — say in the 
case ? That she loves the Lord, and for his sake will 
love his children, we take for granted. But will she 
also be a mother— 7not/ier to our dear pupils as you 
will become to them a father ? Will she, for the 
Lord's sake, accept and interest herself in some forty 
of his young disciples ? Will she unite with the 
other professors' wives in furthering the cause of the 
Lord ? Please ascertain her views on this point, at 
the same time conveying to her our most sincere 
greetings. May the good Lord guide you in your 
decision ! Write to us soon. 

In sincere love, your brother, Blumhardt. 

On receiving this letter Stier felt almost at once 
that it was a call from the Lord. . Only two slight 
obstacles stood in his way: first, his having accepted 
a stipend in the Wittenberg Seminary, which seemed 
morally to obligate him to the service of the Prussian 
Church ; secondly, his obligations to his employers 



1 



Stiers Motives. 139 

at Karalene, who had already begun the preparation 
of a home for his wife. Both of these matters, how- 
ever, were soon amicably adjusted, so that the 
authorities interposed no insuperable objection to his 
accepting the call. Thereupon he no longer hesitated, 
and Ernestine also was heartily agreed. The pros- 
pect of being transplanted into the most active 
missionary center of Europe, where they would stand 
in close relation to the work and workers in all hea- 
then lands, was inexpressibly cheering to the hearts 
of both. Besides, the milder chmate of Basle, and 
the greater nearness to many friends in Baden and 
Wiirtemberg, were no unimportant considerations. 
Moreover, Stier presumed that he was offered a po- 
sition which would greatly facilitate his favorite work 
of commenting the Bible. On the whole, therefore, 
he saw the path of duty plain before him, and accord- 
ingly wrote to Basle that he had concluded to give 
himself, body and soul, to the duties of the offered 
position. 

About the same time he also informed the venera- 
ble Dr. Nitzsch of the sudden change in his plans, 
and begged his approbation of an earlier marriage 
with his daughter. He also at once sent in the 
requisite three months' notification of his desire to 
resign his post in Karalene. 

Olshausen was greatly rejoiced at this decision. 
"I am more and more convinced," wrote he to Stier, 
" that you will supply an element that is much needed 
in Basle — I mean a straightforward, healthy pozver. 
From all that I learn of the institution, there is in it 
a great deal of mild, gentle goodness ; but this qual- 



140 Rudolf Stier. 

ity sometimes borders on a slothful negligence, and 
there is at times a tendency to a wordy sentimental- 
ism. A little of the vigor of the Spangenberg spirit 
would have a healthful influence/' 

Also in Basle the news of his acceptance occasioned 
great joy. The more the committee learned of him 
the more they were convinced that he was the man 
for the place. Olshausen v/armly congratulated them 
on their choice, adding these words as to Ernestine : 
" I know her personally very well. She is a most 
excellent young lady, inspired by an ardent love of 
the Lord. She has been tested by years of trial from 
all sides — even from father and mother. She will 
become a true mother to your dear pupils ; there is 
no question about that." Also Stier's recent book 
of '' Hints " contributed not a little to open his way 
to the hearts of his prospective colleagues. " We 
have read your excellent 'Hints,'" wrote Blumhardt 
to him, " and my soul flowed into yours as I read ! 
How I feel to thank the goodness of the Lord for 
bringing you from afar into our brotherly circle, to 
prosecute with us, hand in hand, the glorious work 
which he has here committed to us ! " Many other 
warm-hearted letters passed between Stier and his 
new friends in Basle before the conclusion of the 
definitive arrangements, to which we shall recur in 
the next chapter. 

As to the parents of Ernestine, they made no ob- 
jections to Stier's change of purpose, and consented 
that the marriage should take place in October of the 
same year. Not so with his own parents. He met 
here with a severe trial. His father had set his heart 



A Turning-Point. 141 

on having Rudolf near him, beHeving that his son 
had the stuff in him to enable him to rise rapidly 
in government appointments, and thus reflect glory 
upon the whole family. And now to see Rudolf re- 
nounce these prospects, and even quit the service of 
his Prussian fatherland, seemed to him the height of 
folly as well as of unpatriotism. Another disappoint- 
ment of the parents was the fact that they would not, 
perhaps for years to come, get to see their daughter- 
in-law. It was only after much endeavor, and after 
witnessing not a few outbreaks of paternal anger, that 
Rudolf was enabled to obtain consent to a peaceful 
departure. 

This obstacle removed, it remained to obtain for- 
mal dismissal from the Prussian authorities. This 
was given only after repeatedly-expressed desire that 
he might reconsider his purpose. Finally, he received, 
August 13, from the civil authorities, permission to 
leave Prussia for four years. 

But before he left Karalene he was destined to re- 
ceive some very salutary advice as to his proposed 
consecutive commentary on the whole Bible. After 
having accomphshed a good part of Matthew, the 
happy thought occurred to him to send it to his friend 
Ebel for his criticisms. In due time Ebel wrote to 
him in reply a letter that formed an epoch in his life. 
He convinced Stier of the danger and unwisdom of 
any single person's undertaking such a Herculean 
task. The letter overturned Stier's entire plan. 
After carefully considering the matter, he concluded 
that it was his mission to elucidate only portions of 
the biblical books, and that, too, chiefly such por- 



H- 



Rudolf Stier. 



tions as are of a directly practical bearing. To 
Ernestine he wrote : "' First of all I have to mention 
a wonderful letter from Ebel. He has at once become 
my master, and has in a single hour so thoroughly 
swept away my plan of annotating the whole Bible 
that it will surely never return. This was an impor- 
tant event for me — undoubtedly one of the greatest 
benefits I ever received. The Lord does not for- 
sake me ; at his own time he prunes the branches 
that they may bring forth better fruit. Ebel, after 
reading what I have thus far done, has made 
it to me as clear as daylight that such an un- 
dertaking would be profitable neither for me nor 
for others." 

The fact is, the Christian world, so far as it has 
been profited by Stier's writings, owes a great deal 
to this letter of Ebel's. It saved Stier from a rela- 
tively unprofitable spending of much precious time 
and strength. And the missionary ground upon 
which he was now to work gave him the very best 
opportunity of laying out his exegeticai work in such 
a manner as most directly and salutarily to influence 
the newly-awakening stream of evangelical life in 
Germany. His now-adopted plan of throwing his 
best energies upon the more practically significant 
portions of Scripture he steadily and fruitfully pur- 
sued throughout life. 

As the time drew near for Stier to take leave of 
the school at Karalene, he felt the need of a very 
deeply-rooted faith in God. During the delivery of 
the last sermon preached before the students, his 
emotions almost got the mastery over him. He 



A yourney. 143 

trembled for their future. *' I have need here,'* he 
wrote to Blumhardt, "of the support of a firm faith 
in God. I hesitate to give over, at this critical period, 
into uncertain hands the work of grace so fairly be- 
gun in the hearts of nearly all of our thirty-three 
pupils. They seem almost like my own children. 
And now, in all human probability, only quenching 
water will be thrown upon the kindling fire. And 
yet the Lord has ways of which we know not, and 
never lacks in instruments. May he take the pupils 
into his own hand ! What else can I do but give 
them back to him } " 

His fears, however, were less grounded than he 
thought. The good impressions made on the pupils 
were not so easily eradicated, and he had the happi- 
ness of learning in after years that many of the 
students whom he had trained proved themselves 
unusually effective teachers. 

With a heart swelling with mingled emotions of 
solemnity and hope he took leave of Karalene, and 
after a brief visit to his parents at Gumbinnen, set 
out for Wittenberg. On his way he had profitable 
interviews with Olshausen and Ebel at Konigsberg. 
Olshausen expressed his affection for Rudolf and 
Ernestine with an elegant pair of nuptial rings. At 
Danzig he made a pleasant visit with his prospective 
relatives, Gernhard and wife. At Stolpe he was 
warmly greeted by Pastor Metger and by his favorite 
schoolmate Hermann Waldow. In Berlin he found 
awaiting him with Ernestine's friend, Cecilia von 
Meyern, a last bride-letter from his beloved. It read 
substantially : — 



144 Rudolf Stier. 

u V.'ITTEXBERG, SeJ>t 27, IS24, 

" My Rudolf : Now, for the last time before your 
arrival, my overflowing heart sends a letter to its 
other self I desired to come out to welcome you as 
far as possible. Cecilia is my beloved fore-post. 
O, that it is not I, instead of her, who first greet 
you ! When I think of your being now in Berlin 
after your severe journey, I am anxious about you ; 
and yet how ditferent now from the last time I was 
thus concerned for you ! I can now already reach 
out toward you the arms of cherishing affection. 
O, my Rudolf, it is inexpressible in words, how Infi- 
nite Goodness is blessing us ! It can only be felt 
in the great deep of our adoring hearts. At this time 
last year I opened your richly-freighted birth-day 
letter ; and now, as yet, I have neither j/ou nor even 
a visible letter ; but the fairest grace-letter from the 
Lord lies gloriously open before us both, and I am 
happy in forecasting such parts of it as I cannot yet 
clearly x^'BiA. Pardon me, Rudolf; in one point I 
have presumed to act for you without consulting you. 
I have arranged that the first Sabbath after your 
arrival we are to go to the Lord's table together, as 
that will be the only communion-day before our mar- 
riage. Our parents also desire to commune with us, 
hence I had to arrange it beforehand. Should you 
arrive on Saturday, and that, too, after the hour of 
confession, then you could go alone to Heubner early 
Sunday morning. And now excuse me if you shall 
see or hear nothing more of me before your arrival. 
Mother is at present in quite delicate health, so that 
I rarely leave her presence. My Rudolf! Let my 



Bliss fill Days, 145 

last word be a silent prayer : ' O God ! be thou the 
sole spring of our entire life ! ' Wherever I am, or 
whatever I do, my heart throbs out to meet you. 
But the Lord gives me patience. Come, beloved, 
and take Your Ernestine." 

Rudolf had arrived opportunely in Berlin. After 
procuring here a comfortable conveyance of his own 
for the journey to Basle, he set out at once and in 
nine hours was in Wittenberg. He was pleasantly 
surprised to find Ernestine healthier and fresher than 
she had looked for years. The recent favorable 
change in their prospects had worked like magic on 
her spirits. He met a hearty welcome from her 
parents. Many congratulatory letters were inter- 
changed. Those of Stier's parents to the Nitzsch 
family produced a cheering effect. The few days 
that elapsed before the marriage were memorable 
for peace both of heart and of soul. 




CHAPTER IX. 
Labors at the Basle Mission Seminary. 

[Novembep, 1824, to August, 1325.] 

JHE 7th of October (1824) was fixed upon for the 
marriage day. Affectionate greetings poured in 
from all sides upon the affianced for several days 
previously, among them a very cheery letter from Ru- 
dolfs mother. On the day itself Ernestine was relieved 
by loving hands from all preparatory household care, 
so that she could give her heart to its own prompt- 
ings in the society of her beloved. After reading 
awhile together from a favorite author in the early 
part of the day, they improved the fair October 
weather by taking a ramble in the shady and flowery 
grounds outside of the Elster gate. The marriage 
ceremony took place at four P. M. When the hour 
arrived Father Nitzsch, dressed in full canonicals 
and with the old-style powdered wig, (which he 
always wore when he went in public,) headed the 
procession, which moved on foot from his house to 
the close-at-hand cathedral. After him came the 
bridegroom, (dressed in somewhat old style to please 
the parents,) supported by Ernestine's brother Will- 
iam and brother-in-law Seelfisch. Next came the 
bride, (in a wedding dress sent from Rome by her 
relative Schmieder,) supported by her mother and her 



Marriage, 147 

sister Louise ; then followed other near relatives 
and a bevy of young lady friends as brides-maids, 
according to Wittenberg usage. The ground over 
which they passed between the house and the church 
was literally covered with flowers, and lined by two 
solid walls of interested spectators. Though the 
church was filled to overflowing the ceremony took 
place in the greatest decorum. How full of adoring 
thankfulness the hearts of Rudolf and Ernestine 
were during the solemnities that followed is better 
thought than expressed. The venerable father of the 
bride celebrated the m.arriage at the altar, after having 
prefaced it with the following prayer and address : 

" It is of thy providence, O gracious God, that 
I am now to unite my beloved daughter and young- 
est child in an indissoluble life-bond with the friend 
of her choice, and then soon to bid adieu to her 
perhaps for the last time. Such is thy will ; I can- 
not escape this conviction. All the circumstances 
unite to confirm me in it. And hence the pain of 
this separation can be largely alleviated and healed 
by our faith in thee and in thy all-pervading love. 
May this faith take deeper root in me and in mine ! 
Thy love has not been sparing in its benedictions. 
Thou hast given me children who have proved the 
chief joy of my fife, and who, though in part widely 
scattered, have never ceased to cling to their parents 
with fondest tenderness. And thou wilt give grace 
that also these, our last united children, may, on their 
part, increase this our life-joy, and that they may 
both be enabled through that love to thee which they 

here to-day vow afresh, to have increasing happiness 

11 



148 Rudolf Stier. 

in their union with each other, and in their hearts to 
remain near to their kindred and friends, however far 
they may be outwardly distant. Help them to this 
through Jesus Christ, thy Son ! Amen. 

" Dearly beloved bridegroom and bride I Your 
hearts have form.ed an indissoluble life-bond, which I 
am here, in the presence of Almighty God and of 
these w^itnessing friends, solemnly to ratify. As 
father, and as one laboring under the infirmities of 
age, I would prefer to leave the celebration of this 
public ceremony to another, were it not for my great 
joy in the well-grounded hopes I have of the happy 
results of your union. In these hopes I greatly re- 
joice. They are based most of all on the harmonious 
tendency to religion and piety vrhich characterizes 
you both, and which has more and more promoted 
and confirmed your heart-union, if, indeed, not first 
awakened it. And novr it is m^y duty in this solemn 
moment to exhort you to persevere in this good way, 
and to expect happiness from your wedded life only 
in a truly pious and ever-growing love for holiness. 
This you owe to God who has brought you together, 
and who alone can help you ; this you owe to your- 
selves and to the large circle of friends who would 
gladly have in it the greatest possible consolation in, 
now, parting with you. 

•'And you, dearly beloved sir, have come hither 
from the distant north-east in order to conduct your 
chosen to a not less distant south-west. You have 
come bearing wdth you the heartiest good wishes of 
your parents and friends in Lithuania ; and now 
fresh and not less warm wishes wall follow vou from 



Ma7Tiage Address. 149 

here to the borders of Switzerland. So distant a 
removal from those so deeply interested in your 
welfare will be no slight trial for you. May this dis- 
tance then serve to you as a continual and daily re- 
minder of all that upon which the realization of our 
good wishes for you chiefly rests, namely, of what 
you owe to God in the new field of labor to which 
he has called you, as well as of what you owe to 
yourself, to your salvation and honor, as also to the 
loving one who follows you thither ! A noble zeal 
for true religion impels you to accept of this call to 
a position where you are to help train laborers for 
the conversion of distant nations, thus spending 
your energies for the spread of the Gospel of Christ 
— a calling which requires much devotion and may 
have rich fruits — which presupposes an ardent love 
to the Saviour of the world and an earnest zeal for 
his great work, and which is peculiarly adapted to 
nurture and strengthen your own receptivity for the 
saving 'and blessed workings of the Christian faith 
in your own life. How could such a calhng not be 
desirable and honorable ! But you know well also 
to what dangers the poor human heart is exposed 
here, no less than elsewhere. You know how readily 
a zeal for religion may be unconsciously compromised 
by presumption and self-love — how readily it may be 
damagingly affected by intolerance and by contempt 
for honorable persons who think differently — and how 
readily it may lead to a substitution of means for 
end, and thus hinder or render difficult the attain- 
ment of the true end. You are, therefore, doubtless 
yourself convinced that a truly pious zeal for Chris- 



150 Rudolf Stier. 

tianity must ever go hand in hand with a sober pru- 
dence on the one hand, and a sincere love of God and 
man on the other, if it is to remain pure, and constant- 
ly to grow into perfection. Of this (to yourself well- 
known truth) I here remind you solemnly and from the 
best of motives. Accept with the daughter which you 
receive from my hands also this kindly caution. 

"And you, my dear daughter, what else can you 
expect from your father on this occasion than an 
honest testimony to the love and fidelity which you 
have never ceased to show to your aged parents ! 
Indeed I owe this testimony to you, and I hesitate 
not to give it to you here publicly, as I have no 
reason to fear even a silent contradiction from any 
one present. Your acquaintances and friends know 
well that for a considerable time you have been the 
comfort and help, as you have always been the joy, 
of a loving mother ; but you have also frequently been 
the watchful help of an enfeebled father, even accom- 
panying him on wearisome journeys and every-where 
rendering him the most attentive and affectionate 
services. But what is chiefly to be prized in you is 
your love of devotion and your diligent study of 
the Holy Scriptures ; by such a life you have be- 
friended yourself with the Father of us all, whose 
grace has appeared to us in Christ, and have raised 
your heart above the so-prevalent tendency to youth- 
ful frivolity. Possessing these evidences of a child- 
like and pious mind, your personal preference was 
desired, sought and obtained, by the worthy man to 
whorr^ you have given heart and hand, and to whom 
you have evidenced your devotion by your readiness 



Festive Eventing, 151 

to follow him into a land of strangers. Hence your 
parents, trusting in God, indulge the best hopes from 
your marriage ; they doubt not that you will ever 
render yourself more worthy of the love of your 
chosen, and contribute on your part, by the further- 
ance of a happy married life, to the realization of the 
ardent wishes which attend you. But now I must 
cease to speak merely as father ; let us now proceed 
to the ecclesiastical ratification of this marriage- 
bond." 

After the ceremony, the nearest relatives and a few 
friends, to the number of some two score, assembled 
at the house of Dr. Nitzsch, and passed the evening 
in cheerful converse. The first eight days were de- 
voted to repose and quiet, before entering upon the 
long journey to Basle. They were only interrupted 
by some brief trial excursions in the new carriage. 
Thereupon followed a business and social visit of 
some three days to Berlin. An amusing incident is 
said to have occurred on the evening of their arrival. 
Stier, though now twenty-four years old, was of so 
youthful and delicate an appearance as to appear 
little more than fourteen ; and Ernestine is said to 
have looked younger still. As they sat by each 
other at the table d'hote engaged in cheerful con- 
verse, the curiosity of the guests became excited. 
They asked the host as to who the strangers were. 
This individual then took occasion to approach them 
and to ply them with general questions as to whether 
they had come to Berlin all alone, whether they 
needed a reliable ciceroney whether they were in 
Berlin for the first time, until he finally learned that 



152 Rudolf Stier. 

they were a newly married couple having come on a 
visit to their mutual friends — which revelation pro- 
duced an annoying surprise among the guests. 

They stopped during their visit chiefly with Ernes- 
tine's friend, Cecilia von Meyern. Many former ac- 
quaintances were happily renewed. On returning, to 
Wittenberg, five days were devoted to preparation 
for the final departure. At eight o'clock A.M. on 
Monday, October 25, they actually set out from the 
beloved old Luther city. The aged father still in- 
dulged the presentiment that he was bidding his 
daughter adieu for the last time ; for the six years 
younger mother it actually was the last time she em- 
braced Ernestine. By nine o'clock they were scarcely 
able longer to perceive through their tearful eyes the 
receding towers of their beloved home. 

A journey in those ante-railroad days, in a private 
conveyance, from Saxony to Switzerland, was no 
small undertaking. Stier endeavored to relieve its 
monotomy as far as possible by making a large 
number of visits on the way. The first day brought 
them to Halle, where they met Ernestine's eldest 
brother. Christian Ludwig, Professor of Zoology. On 
Wednesday they called on friends at Merseburg, and 
proceeded to Freiburg on the Unstrut, where Stier 
formed the acquaintance of the whole family of 
Pastor Hoppe, husband of Ernestine's oldest sister, 
Frederica, including their three daughters, Clara, 
Alwine, and Laura, at the ages of nineteen, seventeen 
and fifteen. Alvvine had already spent much time 
with her grandparents Nitzsch, and there learned 
through Ernestine to know and prize Rudolf With 



An Old-style journey, 153 

Alwine, whom we shall meet in a subsequent chapter, 
Stier had here very intimate and profitable religious 
conversations. The two brothers-in-law learned to 
esteem each other personally notwithstanding that 
their religious views were quite antipodal. 

The following Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday were 
devoted to a very refreshing visit with Schmieder, 
at Pforta, the seat of the celebrated classical school 
of Saxony. One of tlie evenings was spent in a 
company of professors, where Stier met not a few 
former university friends. 

This was the first and slower stage of the journey ; 
in nine days they had made but some fifty miles. 
From Pforta they proceeded in very rainy weather, 
with slight stops, by way of Erfurt, Gotha, Eisenach, 
Fulda, to Frankfort. Frankfort was a sort of Mecca 
to which Stier had longed to come. Here lived his 
spiritual father and master-exegete. Senator J. F. von 
Meyer. He called on him first alone ; but von Meyer 
immediately sent for Ernestine, introduced them into 
his cultivated circle of friends, and lodged them in his 
mansion. 

This visit with von Meyer formed almost an 
epoch in Stier's life. What all had he not to dis- 
cuss with his revered and Spirit-enlightened master ! 
One of their main topics was some of the views ex- 
pressed in Stier's " Hints." Von Meyer had thor- 
oughly reviewed the book in a public journal. On 
the statement of the Atonement, the 'two friends 
found that after a careful scrutiny of the sense in- 
tended, they were substantially in harmony. Von 
Meyer conceded to Stier that there was no period 



154 Rudolf Stier. 

in the passion of Christ when he ceased even 
momentarily to be the Beloved of God, and that the 
l7i7iocent One could never fully suffer that which the 
damned sinner suffers ; in short, that the mystery of 
the mediatorship of Christ does not consist in his 
having ofiered a juridical substitutionary satisfaction 
in such a sense as some orthodox dogmatists some- 
times teach. Stier was also brought to see that not 
so many Christian teachers as he had supposed 
really mean any thing else than what he believed, by 
their statements of the Atonement. But we shall 
recur to this doctrine further on. Von Meyer inter- 
ested himself also practically in his young friends 
changing their money to the best advantage and 
rendering them other favors. 

On leaving Frankfort, Stier was forced, by a rise 
in the Rhine, to forego one of the most longed-for 
episodes in the whole journey, namely, an excursion 
to St. Goar, where Professor Carl Nitzsch, of Bonn, 
and his wife, Schmieder s sister, had arranged to 
meet with them and pass a few hours in their com- 
pany. Carl Nitzsch had already heartily greeted Stier 
as a prospective brother-in-law. " I have learned to 
esteem you highly," wrote he, '' and I congratulate 
you on your marriage choice. I know enough of you 
to have the fullest confidence in your fidelity and 
love, and I indulge great hopes from your future 
career, for the kingdom of Christ. Let us hopefully 
and patiently {in spe et silentd) combat the world: 
first, in ourselves — you in your way and I in mine ; 
and then, so far as the Lord gives us strength, let us 
go to work without, among our brethren. I heartily 



Letter from Nitzsch, 155 

rejoice that we sympathize with each other in the 
works of von Meyer, though I am forced to regard 
his Apocalyptic interpretations as, for the most part, 
unscriptural and merely human conjectures.'' At a 
later date he wrote to Stier in reference to the Basle 
work : " Our own day has called into life several new 
forms of activity, and your favorite one is certainly 
among the most God-pleasing and fruitful ones. A 
system such as that of Rationalism is consciously 
incapable of preaching the Gospel to the world, in- 
capable of producing missionaries, and incapable of 
believing the testimony of God. How should it not, 
then, look with an evil eye upon an effort of the 
Evangelical Church such as is manifested in your 
seminary } I hope that this opposition will only re- 
sult in re-awakening and in strengthening our some- 
what relaxed effort for the missionary cause." It is 
worthy of remark that though Nitzsch and Stier had 
come to earnest heart-Christianity upon very differ- 
ent theological paths, yet so soon as they once 
understood each other they formed an intimate and 
hearty spiritual friendship, which remained through- 
out life. 

The journey from Frankfort to Basle was made 
with only such slight interruptions as were occasioned 
by the inundation of the Rhine valley. The weather 
was mostly very disagreeable. Part of the time they 
had to hire a third horse, so bad had the roads be- 
come. Only in Heidelberg did they make a brief 
halt to visit the renowned castle. 

They caught sight of Basle at noon, November 1 1, 
having been on the way seventeen days. At the gale 



156 Rudolf Stier. 

they were asked for their passport ; but, on their men- 
tioning the Mission Seminary, were admitted without 
further formalities. On entering the main street 
they were met by a carriage from which, in passing, 
an elderly m.an motioned to them as if recognizing 
them. " What if that were Blumhardt," exclaimed 
Stier, " and he took us for his expected colleague t " 
A few moments after this a young man ran up to 
them from behind, and kindly offered to serve them 
as guide, as they appeared to be strangers. When 
they spoke of the Mission Seminary all was at once 
clear. And that elderly man, who was really Blum- 
hardt, had, in fact, divined who they were, without 
any special ground. He had soon checked his car- 
riage and turned back to join them. He and the young 
man now attended them to the seminary. The young 
man in question was Samuel Gobat, afterward the 
noted missionary, and now Anglican Bishop of Jeru- 
salem. He had been a student in the seminary, and 
had just recently returned from Paris, where he had 
taken Arabic lessons under De Sacy. Quite recent- 
ly, Bishop Gobat wrote as follows of this, his first 
meeting with Stier and his wife : " I yet recollect 
very vividly the first impression they made upon me. 
Both of them bore upon their countenance the seal 
of God — the stamp of the redeemed — more distinctly 
than I ever recognized it before or since in any 
human being. Child-like joyousness of faith, inner 
repose, peace, love, and innocence, together with an 
extraordinary spirituality, beamed cheeringly upon 
me when I first caught sight of them in the street, 
before I knevv^ any thing at all as to who they were. 



A Hearty Welcome, 157 

No sooner had my eyes fallen upon the two strange 
faces in the carriage than they so attracted me that 
I was prompted at once to go to them and ask if I 
could in any way serve them." 

Their ' reception at the Mission House was such 
as only Christian love can give. As soon as they 
had gone in, the two teachers, Handel and Hansel, 
called to welcome them. When the students learned 
of their arrival they assembled at the door and greet- 
ed them by the singing of some touching verses. 
Ernestine gave way to tears of joy, so fully she felt 
at once at home. Stier went out to salute the sing- 
ers and to thank them. Though outwardly composed, 
he was too full of emotion to utter more than a few 
sentences of weighty significance. What he did say, 
however, awakened in them all deep thankfulness 
that the Lord had sent them such a teacher. Later 
in the day, Stier visited the lecture-rooms and met a 
number of the students. There were thirty-six of 
them, some of them older than himself. 

Blumhardt and wife lodged them the first five 
days, until the neat little quarters destined for them 
could be made ready and furnished. Their rooms 
were in the third story, and were quite sufficient for 
housekeeping on a small scale. The two ladies, 
Blumhardt and Handel, considerably older than Er- 
nestine, offered her much motherly advice and help. 
Luckily their goods, with the exception of the books, 
had already arrived, and could at once be unpacked. 
One thing embarrassed the young housewife at first 
very much. It was the wretched and (to a north- 
German) almost unintelligible Basle dialect, which is 



158 Rudolf Stier. 

spoken even by the majority of educated ladies, and 
which uses pecuUar names for almost all household 
objects. Sometimes it seemed to her positively 
comical, as, for example, the phrase by which Lady 
Blumhardt asked them to be seated, and announced 
refreshments, immediately on their arrival.* For 
some weeks, however, it was a real trial to have to 
give careful attention in order to understand even 
the simplest every-day chat. 

As v/ith most young wives, some slight clouds 
came over Ernestine as soon as she undertook the 
management of her own little household. She wrote 
thus of it to her sister Louise : ''It seemed to me all 
at once as if I were utterly unskillful in every thing, 
and yet it now behooved me more than ever to watch 
and care for a thousand little details. I discovered 
how much I was mistaken in having taken for granted 
that in this respect I could not possibly be lacking. 
It was a real humiliation. I felt my new position as 
a positive burden. Thus far, as you know, my posi- 
tion had been such that my line of duty was clearly 
marked out for me by my surroundings ; I knew 
precisely what and liow I had to do. But now I can, 
in one sense, do just as I please ; and yet an inner 
voice warns me that I should not at all do what / pre- 
fer, but only inquire what the Lord would have me to 
do. And here I find myself so slow in learning ! " 
But these clouds soon passed over, and she found 
peace and patience in the path of self-denial. 

For this patience she had abundant need in 
another respect. The first Basle servant-girl which 

* Viz. : " Setzen Sie sich, das Chaffe wird plotzlich chommen." 



Basle Socially, 159 

she obtained proved very refractory ; or perhaps the 
Saxon and Basle usages were so different as to 
render any good understanding somewhat difficult. 
But instead of being willing to adapt herself to her 
mistress, she at once grew sullen, set a time for leav- 
ing Ernestine's service, and then rendered only the 
most unsatisfactory help. Instead, for example, of ris- 
ing herself at five o'clock, she coolly let her mistress do 
so, and m ike the fire and prepare the coffee, in order 
that Rudolf might not be hindered from going to his 
work ; and then she made her appearance at six 
o'clock, when the work was already largely done. 

Let us now return to the brighter phase of this 
Basle beginning. On the first Saturday evening, 
Stier and Ernestine participated in the regular 
Mission House worship, and were richly blessed. 
On the Sunday following, took place the formal 
" welcoming " by the seminary committee. This 
body consisted chiefly of preachers and merchants. 
The occasion was characterized by the well-known 
Basle simplicity. First, came together the men 
and their wives, without the least ceremony. After 
an introduction to the strangers, they entered into 
hearty conversation with them. Then tea was drunk 
around a long table. At the head sat the president 
of the committee. Von Brunn, with Stier at his right 
and Ernestine at his left. After them sat in succes- 
sion the other members, each opposite his wife. 
After tea they repaired to the chapel, where the 
'' brothers " (students) were already assembled. Here 
an appropriate hymn was sung, whereupon the presi- 
dent took the stand and addressed a very touching 



i6o Rudolf Stier. 

discourse, first to Stier, then to Ernestine, and then 
to the committee and brothers. After which Stier 
arose and responded as the Lord prompted him, ex- 
pressing especially his thankfulness for the privi- 
lege of working in the midst of such a Christian 
community. 

Such was the formal "greeting'' and "introduc- 
tion." On the 22d of November, Stier finally en- 
tered upon the work of his post at the opening of a 
new semester. 

The celebrity of the seminary in which Stier now 
began to teach is sufficient to justify a brief glance 
at its origin and character. As early as in 1790 there 
existed in Basle, under the guidance of Urlsperger, 
an active missionary society. At its head stood 
(since 1801) the three Wiirtembergers : Steinkopf, 
Spittler, and Blumhardt. The latter took special in- 
terest in the missionary movement that had gone out 
from Zinzendorf in Germany, co-operating largely 
with Janicke in Berlin. In 18 16, the thought oc- 
curred simultaneously to Spittler and Von Brunn to 
establish a semnnary in Basle itself for the training of 
missionaries of their own. Blumhardt was made the 
first president or inspector. The beginnings were 
very modest ; but by the enterprise and benevolence 
of a committee of God-fearing men it soon assumed 
the character of a real mission seminary. Accord- 
ing to its later regulations, Blumhardt stood at its 
head, edited a missionary magazine, and oversaw the 
relations of the institution to the foreign work. He 
was obligated to only two lectures — on the history of 
missions, and on the relations of Christianity to hea- 



The Basle Seminary. i6i 

thenism. The missionary cause was his very Hfe 
element. Long experience made him a shrewd 
reader of human nature, and a wise administrator. 
If he unconsciously sometimes made the dignity of 
his office oppressively felt, this was an almost inevi- 
table result of his position. Next to Blumhardt stood 
Handel, a thorough Wiirtemberg scholar. He was 
in charge of the philological department, and, though 
kind-hearted and pious, was very severe in his exac- 
tions of the students. Third in position stood Stier s 
predecessor, Schlatter, in charge of Hebrew and Greek 
exegesis. In the fourth place stood Hansel, a Cam- 
bridge student, as teacher of modern languages. 

The seminary had also the great advantage of an 
organic connection with the University of Basle. 
The students thus heard also the lectures of Merian, 
Buxtorf, Hagenbach, and others. Especially Hagen- 
bach's unconfessionalism was an admirable prepara- 
tion for missionaries who would have to work in 
widely differing branches of the general Church. 
Also the students stood in close relation to the 
pastors of the city, and received from them stated 
instruction. The cantonal government was friendly 
to the seminary. Even '* his Wisdom, the reigning 
burgomaster," was at this time a hearty patron of 
the good work. The seminary was supported partly 
by an endowment, and partly by contributions. The 
course of study was of four years, and required at- 
tendance upon about five lectures daily. The stu- 
dents were expected to pass no day without exercise 
in the open air, or at some form of labor ; in fact, 
they were systematically classified, and alternately 



i62 Rudolf Stier. 

required to engage in wood-sawing, in gardening, in 
carpentering, and in promenading. 

Such was the condition of the seminary at the 
time when Rudolf Stier entered upon the post iust 
vacated by Schlatter. Soon after the above *' intro- 
duction," a formal '' vocation and instruction " was 
placed in his hands — a long detailed document de- 
fining his relations and duties. Among its specinca- 
tions were : that Stier was to be subject to the direc- 
tion of Blumhardt and the committee, that his salary 
was to be five hundred and fourteen thalers, with 
free house and fuel ; that he was to give his time 
and strength wholly to the seminary, save what 
was required for his personal culture ; that he 
was to give four hours of instruction daily ; that 
he was to assist Blumhardt in his missionary cor- 
respondence and in other like work ; that he was 
to aim at promoting the piety of the students, not 
merely by his regular instructions, but also by per- 
sonal intercourse with them, and that he was to 
take charge alternately of the outer administration 
of the house. All of which instructions were fully 
in harmony with Stier's spontaneous intention, save 
perhaps that he understood under the head of '' per- 
sonal culture " a larger freedom for literary labor 
than the committee intended. The consequences of 
this slight misunderstanding will appear further on. 

Before speaking of Stier's actual work in the semi- 
nary, we must briefly notice his relation to the Re- 
formed Church of Basle. As he was not yet or- 
dained, and as it was desired by the committee that 
he should be, it was necessary to attend to some 



S tier's Creed. 163 

formalities. Especially it was requisite that he 
should take position in regard to the Basle Con- 
fession of Faith. Instead of directly subscribing 
this Confession, which he could not conscientious- 
ly do, he drew up and handed in a confession of 
his own. In this paper he dissented considerably 
from the Confession of Basle, especially in regard 
to election and the eucharist. Some of its points 
are : 

I accept the Apostles' Creed. I beheve that God 
desires to save all men, and that the Scriptures de- 
signate the regenerated as the elect by pre-eminence, 
because their faith conditions the realization of God's 
will. I believe that by sin man has incurred the ruin 
and death of spirit, soul, and body, and that in his 
fallen state he possesses only the empty formal power 
trustingly to accept the regenerating power of God, 
and hence that all his personal natural efforts are 
evil, so that now even his desire for salvation needs 
to be purified from selfishness. I believe that God 
has not left himself without a witness even among 
the heathen, but that in every nation he has always 
seconded their better desires. I believe that Christ 
has given to the Father a full satisfaction for the sins 
of the world — that he has opened the way for our rec- 
onciliation and reunion with God, but not in such a 
sense as to imply that Christ, in his death, suffered 
the wrath of God. I believe that the bread and wine 
of the eucharist are not only symbols of the body 
and blood of Christ, but also that under the form of 
these elements we are privileged to partake spirit- 
ually and bodily of the glorified body and Spirit of 

12 



164 Rudolf Stier. 

the Lord.^ I believe that good works follow a re- 
generated life as inevitably as that a light must shine 
or a germ grow. 

Upon this confession of faith the Basle Church 
Council did not hesitate to ordain Stier, and admit 
him to the full exercise of the sacred office in the 
canton. One thing, however, was first required : an 
assurance to the Basle Church that the Prussian 
Church Vv'ouid fullv recoomize his ordination on his 
return home. By the mediation of Dr. Nitzsch, a 
ministerial decision was obtained to the effect that 
such would be the case. Thereupon followed the 
ordination, May 13, Stier simply pledging himself to 
teach according to the Scriptures and to his own 
statement of faith. He wrote to Schmieder soon 
thereafter, saying that he hoped the Lord would 
supply, by his Spirit, whatever his ordination may 
have lacked in form. 

We now come to Stier's labor proper in the sem- 
inary. His duties w^ere : An exposition of Isaiah, six 
hours a w^eek ; instruction in Greek, three or four 
hours ; analysis of particular New Testament books, 
four hours ; Hebrew, four hours : rhetoric and peda- 
gogics, three or four hours. 

In this work Stier found full scope for shaping into 
definite form the rich fund of theological knowledge 
which he had for vears been accumulatino;. He at 
once grappled with the most difficult problems of 
Revelation, and endeavored to reduce them to the 
most satisfactory expression. One of the first of 
these was, the nature of the Atonement. In a letter 

* In his maturer years Stier expressed himself less sacramentarily. 



The Atonement. 165 

to Schmieder, of May 21, he gives a synopsis of the 
views he had just presented to one of his classes. 
Some of the positions here taken were : Christ did 
not reconcile God with us, but us with God ; the 
ground of the alienation lay in the state into which 
we had brought ourselves by sin. The mystery of 
the atonement is grounded in the mystery of the 
incarnation, but not conversely. In Christ a new, 
holy human being is created in unity with the Son 
of God, and his power is given to humanity for the 
regeneration of many. That this new man might 
stand in connection with sinful man, and raise man 
into union with himself, he had to come into our 
fallen flesh ; he who would bring one out of a dun- 
geon must himself go down into it. Christ bore our 
sins ; that is, their consequences. This burden of 
sin, laid upon him for our sake, consisted princi- 
pally and in general: i. In the corrupted human 
nature which he bore from his birth. 2. In the 
intense, holy feeling of the sinfulness of our sin. 
3. In his perfectly obedient fulfilling of the law while 
himself in a state of human weakness. It then con- 
sisted in his passion and death, pre-eminently and 
fully: I. In feebleness and pain, together with a 
liability to temptation, apart from the sense of divine 
consolation. 2, In his utter abhorrence of the in- 
tensely and collectively felt sinfulness of humanity. 
3. In the total self-surrender of his own will to the 
divine will, in so far as his humanity had a will other 
than the divine. All this Christ bore for ns, that 
is, for our salvation, and in our stead. But he did 
not bear it in our stead literally — as if the holy Christ 



fcVi 



i66 Rudolf Stier, 

actually could suffer that which the lost sinner suf- 
fers. On the contrary, he bore it in such a sense as 
the sinner vmst bear it, but, in fact, cawnot ; and in 
such a sense as the Christian, in coming through the 
throes of regeneration, bears essentially the same 
suffering through the strength acquired for him by 
his forerunner. God now coji fors-ive us throuz^i 
Christ, but not literally for Christ's sake : for this 
would suppose a merely oitn'cird imputation to us of 
the mierits of Christ, and would thus prevent God's 
pardoi from being a grace. On the contrary, God 
forgives us tJirougli Christ, that is, by virtue of the 
salvation plan prepared therefor by Christ, and in so 
far as we will to become one vcitJi Christ. 

The one of Stier's courses of lectures in which he 
became most intensely interested was his elucidation 
of the prophet Isaiah. The last twenty-seven chap- 
ters of this book were then looked upon by many 
critics as unauthentic. Stier discovered what seemed 
to him a closely connected plan of the whole book, 
and presented it here to his students, a:::! afrerwar:! 
to the public, with such force oi evidence :l:a: "he 
thereby contributed," as Carl Xitzsch says, *''verv 
essentially to the acceptance of the unity and authen- 
ticity of the book as a whole." He found also in 
Isaiah new light and deeper truth on the doctrine of 
the atonement, though always in confirmation of his 
view that the atonement is not to be understood 
juristically. The enthusiasm wdth which he expound- 
ed this prophet made a very lasting impression on 
his auditors. Gobat, for example, wrote of it long 
afterward (1863) : '* I heard only three or four of his 



Stiers Labors, 167 

first lectures on Isaiah ; but I yet distinctly recollect 
the deep impression which every word made upon 
me as well as upon the other students, and how 
thankful we all were for having received such a 
teacher." 

As in his exegesis, so also in his other lectures 
Stier pursued a course quite independent of all 
printed authorities. This was especially so in his 
instruction in Hebrew. In this language he had 
been his own teacher, and he now proceeded to sys- 
tematize his knowledge of it into a critical grammar 
of his own, which he subsequently submitted to the 
learned world, though too soon after the publication 
of that of Ewald to obtain for it. just recognition. 

As to his general influence on the students, and 
as to the esteem they cherished for him in maturer 
years, we select the following from Pastor Schlienz : 
'^We discovered at once that in him the Lord had 
given us a very great benefit. Though yet young in 
years> he was full of holy earnestness, learning, and 
love. We had anticipated great profit from his Bible 
exegesis, and we were in no respect disappointed. 
He not only taught biblical truth with great thor- 
oughness, but he was thorough in his whole field. 
His ideas were clear, his judgment sound, and his 
processes of reasoning strictly logical. His thoughts 
were frequently strikingly original and always very 
rich. His exegetical remarks were after the manner 
of Von Meyer — brief, but profound and untrammeled. 
In this respect they formed a direct contrast to his 
subsequent printed works. Notwithstanding the 
extraordinary richness of thought in his ' Words of 



i68 Rudolf Stier. 

the Lord Jesus ' and other works, I yet seriously re- 
gret that Stier did not continue to work as a public 
teacher ; for then his writings would doubtless have 
been more concise, and the theological world have 
received more of them, and been more richly bene- 
fited by them. In his Hebrew exegesis he gave us 
a very rich fund of pregnant thought ; but Christ 
was always the beginning, the middle, and the end. 
As with Olshausen, so also Stier had an exceedingly 
clear insight into the images and types of the Old 
Testament, and into their relation to the New. Few 
others knew so well as he how to discover the traces 
of divine wisdom in the Old Testament, and to show 
how it contained typically that which was fulfilled 
in the New. He seemed to us admirably to com- 
bine grammatical precision with the zeal and wis- 
dom of Christian earnestness. He awoke in us all a 
lively pleasure in thorough and conscientious study. 
At the same time he was a friend of the greatest 
freedom of inquiry, giving due justice to grammar 
and lexicon, but allowing himself to be trammeled 
neither by grammarian nor lexicographer." 

The duty of criticising the sermons of the stu- 
dents gave Stier a fine opportunity for wisely 
moulding their manner of preaching. In his opinion 
a single sermon that gushed freshly out of a Chris- 
tian heart, moulding the acquired fund of Christian 
wisdom in harmony with the circumstances of the 
occasion, was worth a half dozen discourses which, 
however finely written, were yet delivered from a 
merely mxCchanical memory. His aim was to render 
the students apt in using their Bible knowledge as 



A Model Professor, i6g 

the inspiration of the moment might prompt. In 
this respect his own sermons formed a happy model, 
though they were generally a little longer than suited 
the Basle taste. 

It soon became evident to all that Stier formed a 
happy complement to Blumhardt. While Blumhardt 
was very apt in laying bare the innermost recesses 
of the human heart, and thus stirring up his auditors 
to practical devotion, Stier was unsurpassed in im- 
pressing upon them the profound riches of the sacred 
oracles, and in building up believers in the higher 
Christian life. A potent feature of his public serv- 
ices was his uncommon gift in fervent extempora- 
neous prayer. 

In his personal intercourse with the students, Stier 
formed a marked contrast to the other teachers. He 
was very approachable. He knew how to lay aside 
the officer, and make them all feel easy and at home 
in his presence. His conversation turned uniformly 
to the great vital questions of Christian life. Though 
it was very rare that any one went from his presence 
without having been convinced of some error and set: 
at right, yet none felt humiliated at this, but, on the 
contrary, rejoiced and felt richly rewarded. It was in 
view of this and similar qualities in Stier that Gobat 
once wrote : ^' If I ever knew any one of whom I 
could have said, I wish I wei'e as he, that one was 
Stier." 

But while every thing seemed to indicate that Stier 
was in the place precisely adapted to his peculiarities, 
and where he could use his gifts to the best possible 
advantage, yet he soon began to make discoveries 



I/O Rudolf Stier. 

that slightly beclouded his sky. The school, good as 
it was, yet fell so far below his ideal that he feared he 
should never see it fully realized. Though living in 
full Christian sympathy with his colleagues, yet he 
soon discovered traces of a radical theological dif- 
ference, especially between himself and Blumhardt. 
The general religious life of the students appeared to 
him rather of the Martha than of the Mary type. 
The multifariousness of their outward employments 
damagingly affected the deeper quiet flow of the 
inner life. There was also an occasional tendencv 
among them to break out into fanaticism. More 
than one student had to be dismissed for becoming 
infatuated for Gichtel or Swedenborg. As yet, how- 
ever, Stier labored on with unabated perseverance. 

Of Stier's indoor, domestic life, we have seen 
enough both of him and of Ernestine to forecast 
what a model Christian fireside it must have pre- 
sented. Multitudes of letters yet extant present a 
charming picture of it. We shall here give a very 
few facts : Just before Christmas, 1824, Ernestine 
wrote to her mother, reminding her that it would be 
the first time in her life when she could not be pres- 
ent at home and rejoice in the accustomed Christmas- 
tree. " But," said she, " the great tree of God's love 
in Christ reaches every-where," and she could and 
would pluck abundantly from its branches, even in 
Basle. She had been over a month in her new home, 
but she feared she would never feel outwardly so 
much at home anywhere as among the scenes of her 
childhood. But in a higher sense, she was at home 
in Basle. '' I am," said she, " really at home now 



A Model Wife, 171 

only in my Rudolf, and hence I shall continue to be 
at home wherever his duty shall call him." Her cor- 
respondence with her parents was a source of great 
consolation both to herself and to them. Father 
Nitzsch wrote once facetiously to " a very dear wife of 
a preacher in Basle" thus : " God has so constituted 
us that our heart-union may take even deeper root be- 
cause of our outward separation. Your entire person 
presents itself bodily before my eyes whenever I 
hear what you write to your mother of your domestic 
and social life. Certainly every good mother could 
but wish to have in her absent daughters such cor- 
respondents as you ! " 

In regard to Rudolf, Ernestine informed her parents 
that his official duties were very exhausting, so as 
often to make her solicitous for his health, and that 
by sympathy they weighed almost as much upon her- 
self as upon him ; but yet that, whenever he could 
snatch a moment of leisure, they had a real festival 
in their little home. His severe labors did not inter- 
fere in the least with his cheerfulness ; and whenever 
they had time to become really conscious how rich 
their wedded life was, it required great caution on their 
part to persist in Christian humility. How much 
joy they had in slyly preparing right desirable gift- 
surprises for each other on their birthdays, etc., can 
hardly be appreciated by any but those who make 
so much ado over such occasions as the Germans. 
For Rudolfs first wedlock birthday. Ernestine care- 
fully studied his wants, and concluded, among other 
gifts, to surprise him with a writing-desk just such as 
would practically remind him of her every time he 



172 Rudolf Stier. - 

enjoyed its comfortableness. But as it was ready a 
long time in advance, she found it quite difficult to 
keep the secret ; in fact, in a right confidential hour 
the fullness of her heart actually overflowed her lips 
— two weeks before the time. The fact, however, 
that the secret came out in this way gave them even 
more innocent pleasure than the surprise itself 
would have done. 

As to Ernestine's daily life, a few words : When 
Rudolf was absent — which was a large portion of each 
day — she had opportunity for study, or for practicing 
on her new Stuttgart piano, or for the Christian 
influencing of the young intended missionaries' wives, 
some of whom frequently spent a considerable time 
in the Mission House. She very naturally felt that 
as Rudolf endeavored to prepare the missionaries, so 
s/ie might well be a benefit to their young prospective 
companions. As a whole, her home-life was now 
quite agreeable, especially as her second servant girl 
was the very opposite of her first one. In respect to 
social intercourse with the ladies of Basle, she soon 
stood on a very happy footing ; and she constantly 
endeavored to make her Christian influence a posi- 
tive power, especially upon a circle of promising 
young ladies, who became deeply attached to her. 
With the wives of Rudolfs colleagues she heartily 
co-operated in all respects, though it was some 
months before she stood with any one on terms of 
close intimacy. 

But her greatest pleasure lay in none of these 
directions. It lay in the society of her chosen. 
Especially delightful were the rambles which Stier 



Basle Religion. 1/3 

managed to get time to make with her, among 
the inviting environs of Basle. All vacation ana 
fast days were in this respect doubly desirable ; 
for then their pleasure walk took a much wider 
range. 

Another phase of their recreations consisted in the 
almost undesirable number of invitations they received 
to dine out with the good people of Basle. In this 
respect the Mission House was treated as a whole ; 
hence, much to Stier's surprise at first, he and Ernes- 
tine were often invited by families whom they had never 
called upon. These visits gave a fine opportunity 
for these Saxon Lutheran Christians of the north to 
study the religious life of the Reformed south. The 
result was satisfactory — though in many things 
this Hfe fell below the Christian ideal. Ernestine 
wrote of it substantially thus : " There reigns in the 
Mission House and in Basle an exceptional stand- 
point ; nowhere else perhaps has Christianity attained 
to a fuller predominancy in all the relations of life. 
On the one hand, we are emancipated from the usual 
supremacy of the worldly spirit ; for the horizon of 
this House claims to encompass the whole earth, 
and the spirit of love and prayer which are every- 
where felt, proves that the work springs of God. On 
the other' hand, the deceits of Satan, who cunningly 
puts on the sheep's garb where his wolf's form is too 
closely watched for, as well as also the treachery of 
the fleshly heart, are all the more artful and refined. 
How sad when we forget to draw at the only freshly- 
flowing fountain ! Even the water of life when pent 
up in our own indolent hearts becomes impure ; it 



174 Rudolf Stier. 

can remain fresh only when kept in contact with the 
vital air of the Spirit, however pure it may have been 
at the start. The law of God has so fully attained to 
the mastery here that sin no longer dares to parade 
itself in the light of day. But this brings with it the 
attendant evil, that many assume the Christian tone 
who have no inward anointing. And yet it is a 
matter of rejoicing that there is so much good with 
the little evil." 

Thus we have seen that notwithstanding the severe 
labors of Stier, the first months of his married life 
were a period of unclouded sunshine at home and of 
joyous Christian communion in society. In one 
respect, however, clouds were soon to come. A period 
of physical suffering, first of himself and then of 
Ernestine, was soon to set in and to cast a shadow 
over their whole stay at Basle. On the 25th of 
April, as Stier was visiting a neighboring village with 
Ernestine, he unluckily stepped from the carriage in 
such a manner as to sprain his ankle so seriously as 
to bring on years of suffering. After keeping his 
room for some days, he concluded that, as an old 
" gymnast," he would have little more trouble with 
it, and resumed his teaching, descending and ascend- 
ing between lecture-room and house as usual. But 
to his surprise he soon found himself worse off than 
at first. The best medical advice was sought, and 
foot-baths in red wine twice a day employed — in 
vain. Finding that the ailment grew no better, he 
reluctantly accepted the advice of his physician, and 
repaired for three weeks, in June, to the baths of 
Oberbaden. As Ernestine was not in condition to 



At a Bath, 175 

accompany him, they now enjoyed for a while again 
their old pleasure of a lively correspondence. Some 
of the passages in the letters of Stier paint him so 
true to life that we extract : 

''While here I propose, so long as it pleases the 
Lord, and no interruptions intervene, to observe 
daily the following programme : In the morning to 
study awhile in the Scriptures (I have begun to-day 
with the Psalms) ; then to read some of the books 
which I brought with me, especially Gichtel ; then 
to work awhile upon two festival sermons ; in the 
afternoon, to study English ; then to read in Ters- 
teegen ; then to enjoy a Moravian hymn ; and, final- 
ly, occasionally to study a passage of Scripture in 
the open air." 

A week later he wrote : *' With my chief concern 
here — I mean the external one in my ankle — it is now 
a little better. I do not limp ; and yesterday I could 
take a little walk without much difficulty. And yet 
it is very clear that there remains a deep internal 
trouble which is as yet unimproved ; still, I hope by 
the end of this week to be done with it, so that I can 
leap and spring and praise God. To be sure, I must 
proceed with it as the watchmaker with a repaired 
watch, who does not let it go out of his hands until 
he has watched awhile whether it will go or not." 

In another he wrote : " The people here seem 
generally astonished at my diligent studying — so un- 
common in a bath guest. I have to do here with no 
less than six servants — two males and four females — 
beginning with a pretty French-chattering miss and 
descending to the coarse, unpretentious lass. The 



1/6 Rudolf Stier. 

females, and especially No. i, could at first not at all 
understand my not condescending to talk with them 
in the usual familiarity, and tried all kinds of arts to 
tempt me from my reserve, which made me very sad 
for them. But finally I succeeded in making them 
give me up and respect me, and now occasionally I 
talk quite friendlily with them, as they know in what 
sense I mean it." 

And elsewhere : '' With the books brought along 
with me, it does not go as I supposed it would. 
Tersteegen suits my present condition so little that 
after a few trials I threw it aside. My greatest de- 
light is to read, morning and evening, in my Greek 
Testament. In the English Bible I study every after- 
noon. On Gichtel I am. preparing an essay in the 
interest of our infatuated Brother Frey. I also read 
occasionally in m_y Wittenberg sermons. I have dis- 
covered by them that while I then spoke more simply 
and directly than now, I yet often spoke with an un- 
justifiable assurance, not to say presumption. I also 
perceive that Heubner, and some of the students, 
and even Father Nitzsch, were more just in their 
judgments of me than I was then willing to see — 
all of which warns me to be more prudent and 
cautious." 

It was lucky that the indefatigable student was 
here somewhat disturbed in his self-imposed labors 
by occasional visits from former friends, otherwise 
he would have been even still less benefited by his 
baths. At best, however, the benefit was hardly per- 
ceptible. Soon after his return he ventured upon a 
short walk with Ernestine, but discovered, to his 



Unfortunate Poems. 177 

chagrin, that he was unequal to it. Thus of their 
first summer in the relatively southern climate of 
Basle, they enjoyed almost nothing, for without 
Rudolf, Ernestine had no desire to go out. The 
physicians soon gave up hopes from any thing else 
but the slow restorative powers of nature. Thus 
Stier had to accept the possibility of being lame for 
an indefinite period, and of fulfilling his duties in the 
midst of pain. 

As to Stier s literary activity during his first Basle 
year, it consisted in part in labors directly in the in- 
terest of the Mission House, such as the preparing of 
reliable descriptions of certain missionary fields, the 
preparing of maps of the same, the editing of a Greek 
Testament, the writing of essays on various phases 
of missionary life. It consisted, unfortunately, also 
in a literary venture that brought him but little 
credit — the issue of a volume of '* Christian Poems."* 
Conscious of having formerly misused his poetic 
powers in the service of the world, he naturally 
enough felt that he would like to use them now in 
the service of religion. But hardly had the httle 
volume (two hundred and seven pages) appeared at 
Basle when it was assailed on many sides. It was 
charged, among other things, with a dangerous mys- 
tical symbolizing of our love to the Lord as a spirit- 
ual nuptial love. His old friend Ebel thought it 
contained too great a mingling of elements from his 
former life of worldly unrest with the Christian ele- 
ments of his new life. But he received considerable 
consolation from his spiritual father, Von Meyer, who 

* CJiristlichc Gcdichte. Basle, 1825. 



178 Rudolf Stier. 

wrote to Stier substantially : ** If these poems are 
but a selection, I am astonished at your productivity. 
But because this power is a nature-gift, it needs all 
the more to be chastened. These poems give evi- 
dence of unquestionable poetic power and of a true 
Christian heart. Now that the volume has appeared, 
be no longer concerned about it. But you can de- 
rive from it this lesson : that your imagination is not 
yet thoroughly regenerated. It needs to go through 
the chastening process, no less than the heart and 
the mind." Von Meyer closed with some sugges- 
tions as to the best manner of avoiding in the future 
the faults which somewhat tarnished this volume. 
And not only Von Meyer, but also Nitzsch, Tholuck, 
F. W. Krummacher, and Schmieder, wrote to Stier 
on this subject, and contributed to set him at rest. 

During his first year in Basle, Stier was in fre- 
quent correspondence, among others, with Olshau- 
sen, Rothe, and Rennecke. Sometimes they simply 
opened to each other their religious experiences, and 
endeavored to help each other on the way to holi- 
ness. At other times they indulged in serious polem- 
ics. As yet Stier and Rennecke were not able to see 
alike on the doctrine of the Atonement. In one of 
his letters Rennecke said : " You write that you are 
constantly receiving new light on the work of re- 
demption. I heartily rejoice that you are seeking 
after light, and I am sure you will attain to it. 
Only be not in too great haste, I beg you, to bring 
your light before the world. I feel deeply enough 
how desirable it were that the divine fire which has 
fallen to the earth, in this our season of visitation, 



A Wish of Rennecke. 1 70 

should enrich our theology with a full and concise 
conception of this doctrine. For, to my knowledge, 
no one since the days of the apostles has expressed 
himself on this point to the general satisfaction of 
believers. The theologians of the past have seized 
sometimes upon this, sometimes upon that, phase of 
the subject, but no one has shown the precise stand- 
point from which all the seven rays unite together 
to form the one beam of unclouded light. This is 
much to be regretted. Practically, the children of 
God have become so, they know not how ; they all 
agree, however, in saying, they were saved by grace 
through faith — and that is, practically, enough." 

Such was Stier s history until toward the close of 
his first year in Basle. We now recur to his domes- 
tic life. 

13 






CHAPTER X. 

Further Labors in Basle. 

[A-Lig-Qst, 1825, to July, 1827.] 



^y^^OME weeks after Stier had thus, in the midst 
^D of sufferings, courageously resumed his semi- 
nary labors, his little home was visited with a 
spell of bright sunshine — and then suddenly be- 
clouded more than ever. The sunshine came in the 
form of a bright little boy, at the close of August, 
T825. For a time the joy of Stier was so great as to 
make him almost oblivious of his personal ailment. 
The letters that overflowed from his heart to the 
grandparents, uncles, and aunts of the little stranger 
were notable no less for number than for enthusiasm. 
And the rejoicings of the relatives were little less. 
Especially the grandparents felt themselves young 
again in the little new-comer. Grandfather Nitzsch 
— now made grandfather for the twenty-first time — 
wrote to Ernestine: "Your beloved Rudolf has 
written to us news of great joy ; his circumstantial 
account of the affair reminded me vividly of my own 
first father-experiences. Kiss him for his kindness, in 
my name.'* Grandfather Stier wrote not less cheer- 
ingly from distant Gumbinnen, closing, however, with 
the hope that the "young republican" would ulti- 
mately become a " staunch Prussian." 



Secret-keeping. 1 8 1 

But the joy of the event was by no means limited 
to relatives. The whole Mission House — professors, 
students, and all — seemed to look on the matter as a 
general family concern of each of them. The Mission 
Committee came at once together and voted Stier, in 
consideration of the event, a considerable sum of 
ready money. The 27th of September was Ernes- 
tine's birth-day ; as to its celebration she wrote to 
her mother : '* At six o'clock Rudolf came to my 
bed-side and presented me with a rich and beautiful 
flower-wreath — the first one he had ever endeavored 
to make — in the midst of which lay a book on the 
training of children, wherein he had beautifully 
written many supplementary observations. I knew 
already that I was going to get the book, for it does 
not lie in the heart of either of us to keep a secret 
from each other. Then he presented me also with 
an hour of his time, having expressly deferred one of 
his lectures that he might be with me. And there, 
as the crown still lay before me, and Rudolf sat at 
my bedside with our son on his knees, a sweet song 
made itself heard just before my door. It was the 
^ brothers,' who had divined that it was my birthday 
because of the deferred lecture. Their song was 
very refreshing to me." 

The accompaniments of the presenting of this book 
to Ernestine show Stier in a very curious light. With 
how many subjects was not this man busying him- 
self ! His annotations to the book show that he had 
not only carefully studied the book itself, but also that 
he felt that he had attained, on some points, to a better 
philosophy of the subject than the original author. 



1 82 Rudolf Stier. 

We submit as mere curiosities a passage or two by 
which he thought to improve on his author : 

" The ear is the second and more internal wonder 
of the body. Its structure has not been fully explained. 
It is the instrument of spiritual perception — as it 
were, the reason of the body. Guard the delicate ear 
of the child from frightening noises and disharmonies, 
as you would guard the eye from being blinded. Look 
on it as a weighty matter, what your child hears, and 
teach it to hearken, for from hearkening springs 
obeying. To speak with children is a sacred thing. 
Here let every word be freighted with prudence, wis- 
dom, love, gentleness, and euphony, in order to the 
development of spiritual harmony. Chattering and 
babbling with children does much evil. Jesus eni- 
braced littlQ children. Let his manner be your 
model in this. Let the child understand the tone 
before it can comprehend the word ; teach it to obey 
the emphasis of the command before it is conscious 
of the thought. Above all things do not indulge in 
exaggerated speech with the child." 

On the sense of taste he wrote : ^' Tasting is enjoy- 
ing^ hence it contains significant types of initer 
enjoyments. It is a maxim : we taste in order to 
eat, but do not eat in order to taste. From the latter 
guard the child very carefully. When the child has 
enough, give it no more ; nip epicureanism in the 
germ. Let the pleasure of taste be only a mere 
accompaniment of the satisfying of hunger. As the 
child learns to eat materially, so eats then also its soul. 
Poisons are for the most part sweet — let that be 
an early lesson. A due degree of the sour is healthy 



Nursery Maxims. . 183 

—teach that at an early houn When the child does 
not like any thing, let it see you eat of it previously, 
and be not at once visibly impressed when it makes 
a face. Cease to sweeten its medicines so soon as it 
is sufficiently beyond the mere animal state, to be 
impressed by your looks or words." 

Fortunately or unfortunately, the following out of 
.this minutely circumstantial watching over the child's 
development was soon precluded by other and unex- 
pected cares. The health of the young mother, after 
a few weeks, became seriously worse. An additional 
physician had to be called ; the child had to be given 
entirely out of her care. The woman's life was evi- 
dently in danger. Worst of all, her ailment was 
deeply seated and only imperfectly understood. Alto- 
gether it was a time of heavy affliction. At Christ- 
mas, 1825, Stier wrote to Schmieder : — 

" Our house has been visited by a season of severe 
trial for human weakness, and is partly so yet. The 
sickness of Ernestine, whose soul has sometimes 
been greatly disturbed by bodily pains, and disquieted 
lest they should result unfortunately for our whole 
earthly life — many distressing experiences which are 
just now falling to my lot — the interference of my 
pressing daily duties as teacher with my household 
anxieties, and the manifold hinderances resulting 
therefrom — the troublesome, and perhaps permanent, 
lameness in my ankle, forbidding all rapid or healthy 
movement of the body, so that my health is begin- 
ning to trammel my intellectual labors — all this con- 
tributes to make up what may well be called a cross. 
Thanks to the Lord, however, we have been able on 



184 Rudolf Stier. 

the whole, despite our occasional impatience and de- 
spair, to accept it as a cross from the Lord, and he 
has enabled us to bear it thus far." 

But Ernestine was as yet only at the beginning of 
her sufferings. In April and May the physicians 
utterly despaired of her life. Dreadful as the pros- 
pect appeared, she and Stier had to face the thought. 
And they found the Christian courage to do so. Stier 
wrote to her sister Louise of the blessed religious 
influence which they were reaping from their afflic- 
tions. In the presence of her possible speedy 
entrance into rest, they had learned already to live 
almost as really in the heavenly as in the earthly 
world. 

The news of the death of her mother, in May, was 
an additional severe stroke for the suffering woman. 
Shortly after this, however, her sickness came to a 
happy crisis. Between June and August (1826) she 
recovered so rapidly that by October she was able to 
ride out. But then her ailment recommenced and 
continued for months. After Christmas she wrote 
to her sister : " Dear Louise ! I weep quite frequently, 
and am at times melancholy. In my innermost heart, 
however, I have never been so happy as now. I 
would not wish to have been spared one iota of all 
that I have suffered. The blessing brought to my 
soul by my afflictions is incalculable. My life has 
become a new one, though I even yet regret that I 
am not more utterly consecrated to the Lord. Since 
the time when death was staring us in the face, and 
since my flesh has been, as it were, in the furnace of 
fire, my entire scope of being stands as a whole before 



Ernestine III. 185 

me, and has assumed a quite new significance. I 
have become little in my own eyes, and I perceive, 
more and more, the folly of my former life. My 
Rudolf's experiences fully coalesce with my own, and 
give a much richer depth to our love. We now are 
certain that our bond is not in the flesh, but in the 
Lord. To him be all the praise ! " 

Her health continued to alternate between bad 
and less bad until April, (1827.) Hoping that a life 
in the fresh air and among the flowers might help 
her to recover more rapidly, Stier now rented a little 
house in the suburbs, and then devoted as much 
time as possible to brief drives with her into the 
country. 

As to Stier s own health at this period, it might 
have been far better. Too continuous study had 
temporarily affected his eyes. Hindered by his ankle- 
trouble from exercise, his general health had begun 
visibly to suffer. At first he made light of his ail- 
ments, thinking, as before observed, that an old 
gymnast had little to fear in such respects. More- 
over, he was also threatened with a troublesome throat 
disease. On the whole, he now looked considerably 
older than on his first arrival at Basle. All the more 
welcome was therefore to him a brief vacation bath- 
season which he spent in July, with wife and child, 
at Badenweiler. All three of them derived visible 
benefit from it, especially from the ass' milk there 
drunk, and from their out-door exercise in the fresh 
mountain air. Ernestine's health seemed now about 
restored. Especially had she been refreshed by the 
religious exercises at the seminary just before leaving 



i86 Rudolf Stier. 

Basle. Of the sacramental season enjoyed in the 
Mission House garden, she wrote to her sister 
Cecilia : '* I cannot describe to you how rich a season 
it was for me. Seemingly innumerable loving faces 
came up to see and to greet me. All greeted me as 
if I were one raised from the dead. And that, 
too, on such an occasion as this! And the songs 
— how they melted my very soul ! In that hour 
I positively enjoyed a foretaste of getting to 
heaven." 

It is needless to mention that during all this sick- 
ness of Ernestine, the orderly administration of the 
household severely suffered. Stier bore it all, how- 
ever, with unbroken equanimity. When the food 
served to him by careless hired hands was poorly pre- 
pared, the bread, for example, burnt or underdone, etc., 
he was accustomed to quiet himself with the reflec- 
tion that a " missionary among the Tartars or Hot- 
tentots would be glad to get even such food." A 
severe cross both to his and to Ernestine's heart was 
the necessity of having to commit to strangers the 
care of their first-born. How different from what 
they had hoped when Stier wrote, and she heartily 
seconded, the above-mentioned minute suggestions 
as to child-training ! It was a sad moment for both of 
them — almost heart-breaking for Ernestine — when, 
on resuming the direct oversight of their little son, 
he would have nothing to do with 'her, but turned 
away, crying, to his nurse. But patience and a few 
days of habituation soon overcome this. Mother and 
child soon found out the hearts of each other. And 
then when papa came home at evening to their little 



Exhausting Labors. 187 

suburban flower-encompassed cottage, it was a gay 
time for th'em all. 

Had, therefore, the official labors of Stier grown a 
little lighter the longer he performed them — as is 
usually the case — and had he felt himself growing 
into deeper harmony with his colleagues, doubtless 
the enthusiasm with which he had entered upon his 
work would have continued unabated, or even in- 
creased ; but this, as we shall see, was not the case. 

Let us resume Stier s official and literary activity 
in his second year at Basle. His lectures remained 
nearly the same as at first. His enthusiasm in his 
exegetical work remained unabated. He realized in 
a new and deeper sense the truth of the maxim, 
Docendo discimtts.^ To Schmieder he wrote that the 
longer he studied the Word, the more he was as- 
tonished at new evidences of its inner harmony and 
philosophical depth. " In Hebrew he was engaged 
in a mortal struggle against the superficial arbitrari- 
ness of Gesenius, intending, if possible, to oust him 
from his desecrated throne." In his present position, 
however, he could only collect and digest material, 
but not construct and publish. Hence he began to 
look expectantly forward to a time when the Lord 
would see fit to give him a less exhausting field. 

At Easter, 1826, a great change took place in the 
teaching corps. Both Handel and Hansel were 
called to other fields of labor. Stier was greatly em- 
barrassed thereby. The place of Hansel was only 
inadequately supplied ; that of Handel remained va- 
cant an entire year, and the most of its duties fell 

* In teaching we also learn ourselves. 



i88 Rudolf Stier. 

upon Stier — at a time when his domestic afflictions 
were so great ! Especially he regretted to have to 
take other work in the place of his favorite Hebrew 
instruction. And yet, conscious of the weighty re- 
sponsibility now resting upon him, he endeavored 
manfully to bear the burden. 

One thing, however, rendered his office heavier 
than it needed to be — the lack of a complete under- 
standing with Blumhardt. At first it had seemed as 
if the two only happily complemented each other. 
With two such radically difierent temperaments, 
and, withal, such independent ones, perfect harmony 
of action was very difficult. Misunderstandings in- 
evitably arose. At one time they almost came to 
an open rupture. The Christian, however, predomi- 
nated in both of them, and they came to an amicable 
arrangement ; and their reconciliation w^as a genuine 
one of the heart, as was evidenced by their warm- 
hearted correspondence through a long series of 
years. Still their conscientious differences of judg- 
ment rendered difficult their perfect official co- 
operation. 

As to Stier's extra-official labors in this period, 
they consisted in an earnest correspondence with a 
large circle of theologians, in the criticising of new 
books, and in the preparation of a continuation of 
his '* Hints." The manuscript of a second volume 
of the '* Hints"* was submitted to Von Meyer, and 
then issued at Leipzig in November, 1827. It 
consisted chiefly of essays in the field of Biblical 
theology. 

* Bcitrdgc zi/r biblischcii Thcologie. 



Horror of the Tread-milL 189 

By the time of the issue of this volume, it had 
become pretty well decided that Stier would not re- 
main very much longer at Basle. Some of the oc- 
casions that led to this purpose have been already 
alluded to. Stier felt that the additional labor which 
had fallen to him was threatening to produce a re- 
sult that seemed absolutely terrible to one who bore 
within himself such an inquiring and independent 
nature as his own, namely, to sink him into a mere 
routine pedagogue. He felt within him the call to 
literary theological productiveness too deeply to sub- 
mit with patience to such a dreary soul-shriveling 
career. This call he could not sufficiently heed and 
yet retain his present post. Blumhardt and the 
committee understood his engagement as obligating 
him to devote all his powers to the Seminary in a 
more literal sense than Stier had taken it. On the 
contrary, Stier regarded his duties to his own self- 
culture and to the theological world at large as 
having their legitimate place alongside of his specific 
duties to the Mission House. But Blumhardt had 
even verbally formulated their difference of view, 
and had said to him that the Basle Mission House 
was no place for studying and writing. As soon as 
Stier became fully conscious of this state of things 
(early in 1827) he determined to adapt himself, for 
the present, as much as possible to the views of the 
committee, and in the meantime to keep an eye 
open for a position which would not so seriously in- 
terfere with his conscientiously felt duty of literary 
production. 

To Dr. Nitzsch, at Wittemberg, he wrote in 



190 Rl'DOLF StIER. 

March, 1827: ''As to the place which I would 
accept instead of this one, it would have to be an 
cxcgetical chair, if a professorship at all. Church 
history does not suit me, and I would hardly like to 
force myself into it, as I regard the elucidation of 
the Scriptures as my special life-calling. My pref- 
erence, and I think my proper call, is, to preach the 
Word as pastor of a society." His idea was that his 
meditation of the Word would be the best prepara- 
tion to preach it, as in turn his preaching it in a 
Christian society would be the best stimulation to a 
practically useful exegesis of the Word. 

Some weeks later he spoke more distinctly of his 
desire to leave Basle. He wrote to Rennecke hoping 
to obtain him as his successor at Basle, so that he 
might have less hesitation to signify his intention to 
resign. But Rennecke felt that Stier was in the 
proper place, if he could only bring him to think so. 
He also took occasion to depreciate somewhat the 
importance which Stier placed upon his call to book- 
making. He wrote : — 

'' Do not imagine that you will ever find a place 
where you will exclaim longer than during the first 
joyous novelty of the work : ' It is good to be here ; 
here let us make a tabernacle.' Our citizenship and 
our patriotism belong to a higher sphere. Let us pur- 
sue our way in all truth and simplicity, and beware 
of projects however beautiful and grand they maybe. 
Books rarely live longer than fifty years, save such 
as have been misunderstood and cursed during the 
first fifty ; in such cases they may live a hundred 
years. But commentaries on the Scriptures grow 



Unnecessary Cautions. 19 r 

old even faster still, in contrast with the perennially 
young Spirit which they assume to elucidate. The 
* mystico-analyticar method is certainly the most 
rational, if I understand what you mean by it. You 
thereby stimulate the natural prophetic gift in man, 
which points toward God ; and thus you rejuvenate 
the ancient prophets in the spirit of man. It is 
hardly possible, however, that you will thereby reach 
any very great result — and for two reasons : The first 
is, the superficial tendency which has taken possession 
of the public, and which prevents profound views 
from influencing very many. The second is, that 
Biblical analysis is one thing in its origin in the 
mind of the thinker, who finds, by it, a whole world 
of new thought, and quite another thing when it is 
read from the lifeless page by a third party. Take 
an example from glass painting. If you cannot per- 
suade your neighbor to go with you into the temple, 
and behold with you, from the proper position, the 
illuminated masterpieces of art, you will reap only 
chagrin in all your laudations of them ; for when 
viewed from without they look absolutely detestable. 
But, if you once get him into the temple, then it is 
more natural to say to him, * Here, kneel down and 
adore,' than, * Now, look up yonder at the glory of 
the windows.* So, in most cases, with your deeper 
views of the Bible. I well understand that in many 
respects your present position may not suit you. 
But I know of scarcely any one who could so well 
fill this important place as yourself, if you could only 
think so. Cultivate diligently, dear friend, the zeal 
which prompts you to search after the deep mind oi 



19-3 Rudolf Stier. 

the Spirit in the Scriptures ; but do not think that, 
through the outward letter, you can kindle the same 
fire in the readers of your books as glows in your 
own breast. It may be that where you fall down and 
adore, there your reader will only shake his head ; 
and both of you will be right, for you beheld the 
truths from within, while he sees them only from 
without." 

Certainly these were well-meant words, and would 
have been exactly in place had they been addressed 
to an ordinary book-maker. Looking back, however, 
through the light of twoscore years, the Christian 
world would say to Rennecke that he had mistaken 
his man. Stier not only did a full man's outward 
life-work, but also, by his masterly writings, he has 
largely multiplied and perpetuated his influence, so 
that now, though dead, he still speaks, and will still 
speak for long years to come. 

By July, 1827, Stier had become fully convinced 
that it was now his privilege and duty to give the 
committee formal notification of his purpose to re- 
sign his place at the close of his fourth year. This 
document breathes the spirit of Christian humility, 
and sets forth at large the grounds of his resolution. 

He believed still that he had come to Basle at the 
call of God ; but he now felt equally clearly that the 
voice of God called him away. There was no nec- 
essary contradiction w. this. He had earnestly and 
sincerely worked in Basle, and, as he believed, not 
without fruit both in his own life and in the hearts 
of many young missionaries. But he felt that such 
changes had taken place both in his own inner life 



Looking for a Change, 193 

and in the circumstances of the Mission House, as 
to make it very certain that some other person could 
better fill his place there, and that he himself could 
better work for the kingdom of God elsewhere. The 
Mission House required one whose whole time and 
thoughts should be given to the active preparation 
of practical missionaries ; but he felt called to the 
scientific exegesis of the Scriptures. It would only 
be by doing violence to his inchnation if he should 
throw himself entirely into the merely practical life 
required at Basle ; and yet he was joyously ready 
to do this if it was the Lord's will. But he felt pre- 
cisely the contrary. He now thought that an 
*' unpretending pulpit, with a modest little room for 
study close at hand," was the place where he could 
best do his God-given work. He therefore announced 
his purpose to resign at the close of the Mission- 
House year — Easter, 1828. 

A few weeks after this notification he informed 
the Church authorities in Wittenberg, Konigsberg, 
and Gumbinnen, of his purpose, thus opening the 
way to another work. But there lay as yet before 
Stier in Basle the labor of a whole scholastic year. 



M 



s^r^ .s^A. 




CHAPTER XL 
Last Year at Basle — Interim at Wittenberg. 

[July, 1827, to July, 1829.] 

^vTF^HE lectures which Stier gave during his last 
?:^. year in Basle remained largely the same as pre- 
viously, save that he now received again his 
favorite Hebrew classes. But his work was too ex- 
tensive to permit him to perform it with the proper 
enthusiasm. He taught Hebrew grammar, Hebrew 
exegesis, profane and sacred history, homiletics, 
Greek and Latin — in all, twenty-two lectures a week. 
His health was still poor. Of his ankle trouble he 
could only perceive that it slightly improved from 
year to year. So soon as he could possibly do so 
his heart prompted him to re-enter the pulpit, as 
occasion required. This materially delayed his final 
recovery. A letter of Ernestine's (January 29, 1828) 
depicts his condition at this time so well that we 
quote : 

** Last week Rudolf's health grew worse ; but he 
is rarely confined to his bed, hence tasks constantly 
come upon him which are really beyond his strength, 
so that it is difficult for him to improve his health ; 
and he lives in a constant stru^2:le. He dislikes to 
omit any of his lectures so long as he is able to be 
up, and yet it seems impossible for him to give them 



Suffering, 195 

without throwing into them his whole energies. 
You can therefore well imagine how it must be, 
under such circumstances, with one whose whole 
nervous system is so completely shattered as his ; 
but the Lord mercifully helps us through all this, 
and gives us a joyous spirit. It cannot but be very 
evident that if Rudolf were to continue to teach 
thus for any length of time, his health and powers 
would be utterly ruined ; for I am sure that if a per- 
son of his temperament cannot consent to do his 
work in a sort of mechanical manner — I mean in so 
far as consistent with conscientiousness — then he 
cannot endure it very long ; and for my Rudolf to 
work in this manner is impossible ! His present life 
is a perpetual renunciation of his deepest desires ; 
for he is compelled to pass, at the stroke of the bell, 
from one subject to another, and thus all solid work 
is precluded. This year he has a very wearying 
lecture at two o'clock — universal history — which is 
not at all to his taste, and yet in which he has to 
throw his whole soul in order to awaken in the stu- 
dents any proper interest in it. You understand 
me: Rudolf bears his yoke cheerfully and gladly, 
but cannot believe that the Lord does not design to 
lighten it." 

But under such labors he could not long stand up. 
He saw himself forced to give up some of his lectures, 
and finally to cease them entirely for a while. On 
resuming his work he soon found himself unable to 
pass from room to room. For a while he had his 
classes come to his private room, and then gave his 

lectures reclining on his sofa. Again he was com- 

14 



196 Rudolf Stiek. 

pelled to give up even this. In May he resorted 
again to the baths ; and as his salary would hardly 
justify the additional expenses, Christian friends 
stepped in, and, with proverbial Basle liberality, fur- 
nished him the necessary funds. The few weeks of 
rest thus spent in the society of wife and child 
greatly helped him, enabling him to resume his work 
and to hold out till the close of the year with a good 
degree of efficiency. 

As to Stier's literary activity during his last Basle 
year, it came almost to a stand-still ; but it could 
not cease entirely. He occasionally worked on his 
Hebrew Grammar, as also on another volume of his 
" Hints." In connection with his exegetical lectures 
he had also prepared half of the manuscript of his 
*' Words of the Apostles." Moreover he contributed 
a few articles to Hengstenberg's Journal, although 
with the general tone of this organ he was never in 
full sympathy. 

Stier's last year in Basle was now near its close, 
and yet he had no definite prospect of a new posi- 
tion. Some of his friends still thought him too 
venturesome in his purpose to leave Basle. Old 
Dr. Nitzsch had written to him late in 1827, warning 
him against over-haste in concluding that a new 
place would be readily found, as well as in rushing 
into the republic of letters. Ernestine took up the 
defense of her husband, and did the work right nobly. 
She *' could not look on with indifterence" and see 
nim so sadly misunderstood. She felt certain that 
the interests of his health '* absolutely called" for a 
cessation of labor such as devolved upon him in 



Noble Woman! 197 

Basle, and she was " ready to undergo any depriva- 
tion " in the interest of so precious an end. When 
Dr. Nitzsch came to see the matter in its true light 
he could no longer dissuade. He even heartily sec- 
onded their purpose, and invited them to make their 
home with him in Wittenberg as long as they saw 
fit. Stier gladly availed himself of the kind invi- 
tation. 

The testimonial given to Stier on laying down his 
office designated him ^' as a man to whom the Head 
of the Church had not only given extraordinary gifts 
for the edification of the cause of Christ, and a great 
wealth of fruitful science, but as one who also pos- 
sessed uncommon skill in awakening the best powers 
of his students by the thoroughness of his knowl- 
edge and the stimulating clearness of his style, and 
furthermore, as one who readily gained their respect 
and love by the earnestness of his instruction and 
especially by his consistent Christian character." 
The document said further that the Mission House 
*' would have regarded it as a rich gain" could he 
have persuaded himself to continue in its service 
many years longer. 

Stier's formal taking-leave of the Mission House 
occurred July 31, 1828. The occasion was one of the 
heartiest Christian love. All felt that the Lord had 
come with him into their midst, and all felt assured 
that the Lord would attend him wherever he went. 
Farewell poems were read and sung, tears abundant- 
ly shed, and the kiss of Christian love given. Thus 
closed this important section in Stier's laborious life. 

On the 5th of August he set out with bis little fam- 



m 



iqS Rudolf Stier. 

ily from Basle, accompanied by l^lumhardt and other 
friends, to the frontier of the canton. The journey 
to Wittenberg was not of the modern style. It was 
made subservient to health and to visiting, and lasted 
nearly six weeks. Their first stop was at the baths 
of Oberbaden, in the interest of the still suffering 
ankle. In Zurich they were overwhelmed with Chris- 
tian attention ; so also in Schaffhausen. In Tiibin- 
gen Stier met several professors, and had earnest 
theological discussions with Barth and Osiander. In 
Stuttgart they were so complimented with visits 
and other kindnesses that their few days there spent 
were exhausting rather than recreative. Stier even 
let himself be persuaded to preach, though he had to 
do so sitting. Their further course was by way of 
Erlangen and Leipzig. 

It was only on the 15th of September that they 
arrived at their old home in Wittenberg. Father 
Nitzsch was delighted to see them, though his severe 
sense of order did not allow him to greet them until 
he had regularly finished the lecture in which he 
was engaged as they arrived. But with the joy at 
meeting relatives and friends were mingled also 
some clouds. The fond mother who had so tearfully 
kissed her departing daughter four years previously 
was no longer there. Also the father was visibly 
feebler. The new-comers, however, contributed con- 
siderably to enliven the quiet flow of the Wittenberg 
life. Stier found the public exceedingly interested 
in every thing relating to the missionary activity of 
Basle. Even old Dr. Nitzsch w^as unwearied in hear- 
ing the story of the new Christian life, there so active. 



Looking for a CalL 199 

And the mere presence of Stier and Ernestine in 
Wittenberg contributed perceptibly to awaken some- 
thing of the active Basle spirit in the relatively phleg- 
matic Church-life of the old city of Luther. 

We have now to consider Stier's year of rest and 
of patient waiting for a suitable call. It is curious to 
observe with what conviction he persisted in believ- 
ing that his proper place was not that of a teacher. 
To Schmieder, who had suggested a professorship at 
Pforta, he had already written : " Such a post does not 
seem the proper sphere for me. True, it would afford 
me more leisure than a pastorate, which I prefer ; 
but it is not merely tempus ipsum as leisure which 
I seek, but rather the temperatura of my occupation 
as a fructifying medium of my form of work. And 
this is afforded not by the teacher s, but by the preach- 
er's office. Pulpit homilies must now put the crown 
on, my Bible studies ; the cure of souls must give the 
proper equilibrium to my intellectual investigations." 

In another letter, he said that for himself the 
preacher's office was the office par excellence — far 
above all professorships, even in its humblest stage. 

But the desired pastorate was long in being found. 
And the question naturally arises : Why 1 Why was 
it nearly two years after Stier had sent out word from 
Basle that he was ready to consider a call, that a man 
of his rich learning, deep piety, and excellent pulpit 
power, was compelled to wait before finding even a 
modest country pastorate.'^ The chief reasons are 
two : first, the semi-rationalistic Church authorities 
disliked both his well-known personal independency 
of character and also his downright aggressive relig- 



200 Rqdolf Stikr. 

iousness ; second, the complicated machinery of the 
Prussian State Church is at best very slow in its 
movements. 

Von Schon, the chief Church dignitary in East Prus- 
sia, wrote to Stier, plainly and bluntly, the reasons why 
//rcould not help him to a position in his precincts. He 
charged him, for example, with having fostered fanati- 
cism at Karalene rather than solid piety ! He charged 
him also with having erred against sound scholar- 
ship in his '' Hints," by finding too many types of 
Christ in the Old Testament, and with having spoken 
in a too disrespectful tone of great and honored 
names in the theological world. Stier carefully de- 
fended himself from the injustice of these charges, 
but his representations remained without answer. 

Another attempt with another ecclesiastical prov- 
ince having been made without success, a friend who 
understood better than Stier the unreliable move- 
ments of the Prussian Church machinery, wrote to 
him, consolingly, thus : " Our Ministerium (Church 
authorities) is not a steamboat that moves against 
the stream by the central force of its engine, nor 
even a boat with oars and rudder, making its way at 
the behest of its pilot ; but it is a rudderless ship with 
manifold sails catching the winds from many sides at 
the same time. Whichever wind blows strongest 
determines its momentary course ; but just as soon as 
this wind gives way a little, another one takes the 
upper hand and gives the ship a new course. The 
Ministerium says to you, in the words they have sent 
to you : ' We do not call such preachers as you, nor 
do we favor them ; but we simply tolerate them here 



A Call at Last. 201 

and there, as phenomena belonging to the pecuHar- 
ities of the age ; and we take great care that they 
be but thinly distributed, and properly held in check 
by their surroundings.' " 

Another unavailing effort was made in Posen. The 
reasons which induced the Church dignitaries in this 
case to decide against Stier are curious enough. 
They were: i. Because his petition was not drawn 
up in strict observance of all the formalities ; 2. Be- 
cause he had formerly heard law lectures ; 3. Because 
he had formerly belonged among the demagogues ; 
and, 4. Because he had taught in the Basle Mission 
House ! 

But patience finally bore her perfect fruit. On the 
1 6th of February, 1829, Stier was informed by the 
Ministerium that his prospects had assumed a more 
favorable phase. His name had been put on record 
by the provincial government at Magdeburg for 
the most favorable consideration. The Merseburg 
authorities had resolved to offer him a medium coun- 
try pastorate as soon as a vacancy occurred. Also, 
the Ministerium had recommended his name to the 
earnest consideration of the authorities at Konigs- 
berg and Gumbinnen. 

And an actual appointment was not long in com- 
ing. As early as May 6, the Merseburg authori- 
ties announced to 'him that he was appointed to the 
pastorate of Frankleben and Runstadt. Stier soon 
after visited Frankleben and concluded to accept the 
position. Its salary was but moderate— five hundred 
and fifty-five thalers ; but this was a secondary con- 
sideration with Stier. He preached his so-called 



.jM^. 



202 Rl'dolf Stif.r. 

trial sermon on the 8th of June, and was kindly in- 
itiated into the peculiarities of the work by the former 
pastor. 

In the legal documents by which he was placed in 
his new office — the *' vocation*' and the ''confirma- 
tion " — he was required to edify his fiock by dili- 
gent instruction in the word of God, " as this word 
is contained in the Holy Scriptures, and summed up 
in the symbols of the two evangelical Confessions in 
so far as these symbols Jiarvionize zvitli each other'' 
In the ''vocation," however, he was nominated and 
called as an " evangelical Ltctlieran preacher," and 
obligated to demean himself " as becomes a blameless 
evangelical Lutheran pastor ; " while the " confirma- 
tion " designated him simply as " preacher," and 
obligated him " to walk as becomes a blameless evan- 
gelical clergyman." He was also pledged to a strict 
use of the new " union " ritual. It is thus deserving 
of note that Stier, who, though of Lutheran antece- 
dents, had studied theology subsequently to the 
" union " of the Lutheran and Reformed Churches " 
in Prussia, and had received ordination at the hands 
of the Reformed Church in Basle, was now inducted 
into a pastorate where he was to teach neither 
strictly Lutheran nor strictly Reformed doctrines, 
but such as were contained in the Bible and as were 
common to botJi Confessions. 

Before speaking of Stier s new field of labor, we 
will recur to his private and literary life. His rela- 
tion to the clergy of Wittenberg could not be a very 
cordial one ; there were only a few who fully sympa- 
thized with his earnest Christianity. Ernestine said 



Domestic Life, 203 

in a letter to a friend : " Here in my native city there 
are many kind, humble, churchly people ; but there 
are very few in whom the new Christian life has full 
reality ; and even these are limited, by the cramping 
circumstances in which they move, to a very narrow 
sphere of activity. We (and especially my dear hus- 
band) are deeply pained at the lack of any lively inter- 
est for missions, or for the general cause of the kingdom 
of God, on any large scale. At the recent anniver- 
sary of our little Bible Society it touched my husband 
to his very soul that not a single word was said of 
missions ; and his present position prevents him from 
doing much for the cause himself. But perhaps the 
Lord will soon stir up a better sentiment." 

As usual, Stier was here ready to preach when- 
ever possible. From one of his sermons, delivered 
April 17, a student of theology dated the first glow 
of his inner life. " On Palm Sunday," writes he, 
" Rothe had depicted the self-humiliation of the 
Lord in his own peculiar manner, placing himself 
in the very center of the matter, and thus speaking 
out from within it. Then came Stier s sermon on 
Good Friday. That was no sermon of the ordinary 
reflective, deducing kind ; it was not of a coldly 
logical character, but, on the contrary, the vital his- 
torical fact of Christ's sufferings, in its immense 
significance, was warmly impressed on every hearer s 
heart." 

In this same month (April, 1829) a second son 
was born to Stier. Grandfather Nitzsch took a very 
youthful delight in giving it a worthy baptismal fes- 
tival, and Heubner performed the rite. 



204 Rudolf Stikr. 

With his Basic friends wStier stood in cordial cor- 
respondence. A review of a book of Blumhardt, 
however, which Stier wrote for Henq;stenber^'s 
** Journal," caused some pain at the Mission House. 
He had taken exceptions to Blumhardt's notion of 
inspiration. Blumhardt wrote him a very kindly but 
remonstrating letter on the subject. Stier assured 
him that the matter was simply one of theological 
conviction, but not in the least of persons. 

With Rothe, now a professor in the seminary, Stier 
stood on very intimate terms, though of course they 
could not harmonize in view. Stier wrote : ** We are 
one in heart, different as are our modes of thought, 
and little as he approves of my entire exegetical ten- 
dency and method ; — I gladly bear his opposition as 
purifying ordeal." 

Another feature of Stier's present life was the 
hearing and answering of objections that poured in 
upon him in regard to his principles of Bible in- 
terpretation, as set forth in his second volume of 
'' Hints." Steudel, of Tubingen, for example, wrote 
to him very respectfully, but also very plainly. *' I 
will not disguise it, dearest friend," said he ; "I can 
hardly agree with you a single step in your exegeti- 
cal method." He charged him with carrying back 
into the Old Testament, from the present state of 
science and culture, an infinity of things which the 
text was never meant to contain. " You seem to 
expect from the knowledge of Christ a knowledge 
of every thing knowable ; with me, how^ever, human 
science is a real handmaid of faith in Christ." After 
S(Miie attempts to come to a better understandin:j. 



L iteraiy , Labor. 205 

Stier wrote to him that the difference between them 
was simply the old one between mystical theology 
and scientific theology — a difference so fundamental 
that it could not be removed by verbal debate. He 
concluded to leave the matter unsettled ; but this 
did not prevent the correspondents from sincere per- 
sonal communion in their common Lord. 

Undaunted, therefore, by the objections of his op- 
ponents, and encouraged in his course by Olshausen 
and others, he proceeded to employ his leisure hours 
in preparing new matter for the press. Indeed, with 
Stier, it had come to the point that living and book- 
making were absolutely identical. By the close of 
1828 he had finished the first volume of the *' Words 
of the Apostles." He also continued to w^ork on his 
Hebrew Grammar. But the work into which he 
most fully poured his heart was his " Keryktics," * 
or science of preaching, a work of very great abil- 
ity. Schmieder wrote : " The work is admirable 
and solid ; in general, however, it will have to edu- 
cate the people up to its level before they fully ap- 
preciate it." Professor Nitzsch, of Bonn, reviewed it 
in a journal with great freedom and appreciation. 
Von Meyer agreed with it most fully. '' The Spirit 
itself," wrote he to Stier, " has dictated to you this 
splendid book ; and I only wish that all kerykes 
[preachers] would digest it into their very life-blood. 
The Lord bless it ! " 

As to the '' Words of the Apostles," f both volumes 
were finished by the summer of 1829. The impres- 

* Grimdriss cincr bihl. Koyktik, etc. Halle, 1830. 
\Die Rcden der AposteL Leipzig, 1829. 



2o6 Rudolf Stier. 

sion made by the work differed very much, according 
to the persons. It was sharply criticised by Liicke, 
but was very warmly welcomed by Krummacher, 
Olshausen, and Von Meyer. As yet, however, there 
was a general and ill-concealed tendency in most 
university professors to ignore Stier — in which re- 
spect time has wrought a considerable change. 

Adding to the above w^ork numerous contribu- 
tions to theological journals, and we bring Stier's 
literary labor down to the time of his entering upon 
the pastorate. We shall see that this new office 
rather stimulated than checked his proclivity to 
book-making. 




CHAPTER XII. 

First Three Years of Pastoral Labor at 
Frankleben. 

[July, 1829, to October, 1832.] 




"E now turn to the field of Stier's first 
pastoral labor. Frankleben is a village of 
Prussian Saxony, of about four hundred in- 
habitants, near Merseburg, some twenty miles west 
of Leipzig. Runs tad t is a village of one hundred 
inhabitants, two and a half miles west of Frankle- 
ben. Stier's pastorate embraced the chief society at 
Frankleben, and the sub-society or chapel~of-ease 
at Runstadt. Frankleben consisted of two, Run- 
stadt of one, knightly estate. The three represent- 
atives of these estates were the so-called patrons of 
the two churches ; they had the nominal right of 
nominating the pastor, but this right was now sub- 
stantially left to the church authorities of the prov- 
ince. Each village had its house of worship. Cus- 
tom required the pastor to preach each Sabbath 
forenoon in both places — say at eight and eleven 
o'clock — giving the preferable hour, two Sundays 
out of three, to the larger church. The prayer- 
meetings had hitherto been held by the school- 
masters of the respective villages. The church in 
Frankleben — St. Martin's — was a roomy buikling in 
the form of a cross. It was built in 1736, and its 



2o8 Rudolf Stier. 

stately tower was the finest in the neighborhood. It 
was pleasantly situated on elevated ground, and near 
it stood the neat two-story parsonage, embowered 
in trees, flowers, and gardens. Such was the place 
where Rudolf Stier now entered upon a pastorate 
which lasted nine years. 

Setting out with his little family from Wittenberg 
the last of July, he was met at Merseburg by dele- 
gates from the two village churches, who w^elcomed 
and entertained him. On re-entering their carriage, 
Stier and Ernestine found it tastefully decorated 
with flowers and garlands. On arriving at the mar- 
ket-place of Frankleben, they found the whole village 
school drawn up, with the teachers at the head, in 
beautiful order — the maidens crowned with flowers, 
and all in gayest attire. After listening to a welcom- 
ing poem and a sweet choral, Stier responded in such 
words as his gladdened heart suggested. At the par- 
sonage they w^ere w^elcomed by a committee of ladies 
and others, who had put the house in order and pre- 
pared things needful for the occasion. We need not 
say how appropriate all this was, and how deeply it 
touched the hearts of the new pastor and w^ife. 

Stier's formal installation into office by Prelate 
Haasenritter took place within a few days. His 
sermon on the occasion was a frank defining of his 
notion of the proper relation between pastor and 
flock. His text was: *'We have not dominion over 
your faith, but are helpers of your joy ; for by faith 
ye stand." 2 Cor. i, 24. Of this sermon w^e cite a 
single sentence : *' I solemnly pledge myself to preach 
to you nothing else than what stands in the Bible ; 



Worldly Parsons, 209 

to derive every thing from the sacred text ; to make 
the Bible clear to you ; to initiate you so into it that 
you may yourselves be able to see the only true and 
best preaching in the very text itself." This is, in 
fact, a concise statement of Stier's notion of the 
ideal to which all true preaching should aspire. 

Stier was pleased to observe in his audience at his 
installation several of his warm friends from abroad : 
Tholuck, from Halle ; Schmieder, from Pforta ; Gos- 
chel ; and others. Halle and Pforta, each some 
twenty miles distant, proved, in fact, to be the nearest 
places where Stier could find any congenial society ; 
for in his own parish, and in the neighboring ones, 
as he soon discovered, there was " scarcely a trace of 
spiritual understanding." His people had not the 
least suspicion that he could entertain any elevated 
notion of his office. With the greatest naivete they 
talked to their new pastor as if it were a mere matter 
of course that he could only be influenced by mer- 
cenary motives — speaking of his official acts, bap- 
tisms, marriages, funerals, etc., as mere good bits for 
him. He soon learned that his neighboring pastors 
were mostly the baldest rationalists. Most of them 
carried on also a little farming, and held agriculture 
far higher than their sacred office. An elderly pas- 
tor near by chose the new-comer as his father- 
confessor, but was very much astonished to find that 
Stier, after hearing the general confession of the 
others, exacted of him also a special confession in 
the sacristy."* He had come to look on the matter 

* The Lutheran Church practices confession, though not in the 
objectionable form of the Papists. 



2IO Rudolf Stier. 

about as Cato looked on the Roman augurs, and 
seriously supposed that confession might be well 
enough for the multitude, but that pastors, ''among 
themselves," would be above such things. It is 
needless to mention that the discovery of this senti- 
ment only made Stier the more earnestly insist on a 
downright full confession. 

Some weeks later Stier was invited by a brother 
pastor to be present at the anniversary of his first 
communion. Much as Stier disliked to devote such 
a day to social intercourse, he nevertheless went. 
A large circle of clergymen had come together. 
After dinner they amused themselves by reading 
anecdotes, some of them of the grossest and coarsest 
kind. At this point Stier respectfully suggested 
whether, on such an occasion, a different class of 
reading might not be selected. A roaring laugh 
was the answer. At this, Stier looked for hat and 
staff, and abruptly took leave. 

Under such circumstances it behooved him to be- 
gin his work with patience and prayer, and not to 
look too speedily for fruits. A distant brother was 
quite right in suggesting to him as his present motto : 
Festina Icnte. Also the saintly Von Meyer wrote to 
him : " I wish for you the necessary pastoral wisdom, 
so that without denying Christ you may yet suflScient- 
ly bear with circumstances. The conversion of men 
requires time ; our patience strengthens their eyes 
to bear the light which at first blinds them." The 
chief and first need w^as earnest Bible-preaching, which 
they had not for a long while had. And to this Stier 
now turned with a burnincr heart. The difterence 



The Co7ifessors Fee. 211 

was soon observed. The sexton remarked that there 
was no longer so much sleeping during the sermon 
as usual. An honest peasant remarked to Stier that 
the people could not but understand him, for he 
preached "just as it was in the Bible. If they did 
not do right now, the fault could not be Ms,'' 

One of the first reforms undertaken by Stier was 
the revival of the Sunday-afternoon sermons, or 
Bible hours, which had entirely fallen into neglect. 
By selecting attractive portions of the Bible, and 
expounding them in a plain, earnest manner, he soon 
succeeded in bringing them again into favor. Usu- 
ally after his last morning sermon, he went, invited 
or not, to dine with some of the peasants, so that he 
might the better learn their wants and win their 
hearts. 

Another effort of Stier was to awaken respect for 
his official ceremonies — baptisms, marriages, etc. 
The baptisms, which had been performed in a care- 
less, private way, he now connected with the after- 
noon sermon, performing them before the whole 
congregation. He awakened no little surprise by 
the solemnity with which he conducted the confes- 
sion preparatory to communing. To his great 
surprise and displeasure he learned, on the first 
communion day, that it was there still the usage to 
pay the pastor the so-called '' confessor s fee." He 
at once resolved not to accept it, however much he 
might thereby lose from his income. Accordingly 
he prepared a paper renouncing all claim to this fee, 
and informing his superiors of the reasons for this 

step. The chief reason was this: As it is in the 

15 



2 12 Rudolf Stikk. 

cucharist that the pastor comes into the closest and 
mosi intimate relations to the souls of his flock, 
hence it is especially inappropriate that any merce- 
nary feature should enter into it. He was glad to 
learn that also in other parts of Germany voices 
were raised against this Romish relic. Stier soon 
found that his pastoral charge was by no means a 
light one. It required of him three sermons every 
Sunday. Sometimes, on festval occasions, he had to 
preach as many as eight sermons in three days, be- 
sides attending to numerous communion services, 
baptisms, etc. A large portion of the year his walk 
of two and a half miles, between the two forenoon 
sermons, was no hght task, especially as he yet suf- 
fered not a little in ankle and throat. 

Besides the regular work, there occurred occa- 
sional extraordinary festivals. One of these, which 
was celebrated with great state, was the dedication 
of an organ, in 1832. Strangers flocked in from all 
sides, and more than filled the roomy church. Stier 
preached a curious sermon which made a lasting im- 
pression, spiritualizing the organ, and showing in 
what way it might best be used in the service of re- 
ligion. The close of his dedicatory prayer was thus : 
" Preserve, O thou Triune God, this work which has 
been constructed to thy honor, and may it serve our 
latest descendants in that for which it is here erected ! 
May its sacred tones never become a mere meaning- 
less sound so long as Christians shall hear it in this 
church! Preserve unto us, above all things, thy 
Holy Word and Gospel, and may they ever be 
preached more fruitfully among us, that our devotion 



Dedicating an Organ. 213 

and true knowledge may ever grow hand in hand! 
Constantly accompany our music and song with the 
power of thy Spirit upon all hearts, and may we also 
be ever consecrated to thee. Let whoever shall hear 
thij organ, from near or from far, be reminded there- 
by of thee, and of the eternal glory to which thou 
invitest us all ! And let whoever shall pass by this 
house of God on worldly business be exhorted, by the 
tones he shall hear, to give heed to thy word, and to 
humble himself before thee that he may be saved ! 
This we beg, for ourselves and our descendants, so 
long as it may seem to thee good, in the name of 
the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, to whom 
be all praise and honor forever. Amen !" 

In virtue of his office, Stier had an oversight over the 
two village schools. He went to work prudently here, 
and soon raised them out of the mechanical routine 
into which they had fallen. The old teachers found 
in Stier a practical educator, and readily followed 
out his suggestions. For a while he took charge of 
the religious instruction himself He was fond of 
the work. " If I were not a preacher," wrote he to 
a Karalene friend, "■ I would desire nothing more than 
to be a school-master." He had more hope of 
molding the young than of reconstructing the invet- 
erate habits of the old. 

Stier was no sedate stoic. He knew as well as 
any one how to rejoice at the time for rejoicing. To 
awaken the children to a higher zest for their work, 
he connected a gay children's festival with their 
school examination. The day was opened with a 
sermon in the church, on children-training, before the 



2 14 Rl'dolf Stier. 

parents and children — the latter sitting on special 
seats near the altar. Then followed the examina- 
tion. Then the whole flock of little ones was con- 
ducted to the beautiful village-green, where cofiee 
and cakes were served out. Then all sorts of joy- 
ous plays were introduced. The boys had, each 
class, a cross-bow, and vied with each other for little 
attractive prizes. The girls gave play to their mus- 
cles in leaping, country-fashion, after handkerchiefs, 
ribbons, and the like, which were suspended on lines 
between trees. Then came refreshments again ; then 
fresh plays, and finally all gathered around the pastor 
and united in a closing song of thanksgiving to the 
Giver of all good gifts. Such festivals were some- 
thing new, but they pleased the people amazingly ; 
so soon as the villagers saw what they were, they 
heartily contributed in getting them up, so that the 
following years they took place on a still larger 
scale. 

Stier also introduced the custom of publicly pre- 
senting, to each youth, at its confirmation, a neat 
Bible, inscribed with its name, date of birth, of bap- 
tism, and of confirmation, and with a life-motto. He 
also had the young people come to him ev^ery fourth 
Sunday afternoon, for a year after their confirmation, 
that he might explain the Bible with them, and exhort 
them as he thought needful. 

As Stier aimed at actual fruit in his sermons and 
l^ible-hours, hence he sought to come into closer 
relations with such as were spiritually inquiring. To 
this end he announced from the pulpit on Christmas, 
1830, that in case there were any male persons who 



Whitstmtide Follies. 215 

would desire freely to converse with him for an hour, 
during the vv^inter evenings, on matters of serious 
import, he would be happy to receive them on such 
and such evenings. At first a few came ; but soon 
the number increased. Then it occurred to Ernes- 
tine that she might carry out a similar arrangement 
with the females. And she did so, having them 
bring their work with them on a specified afternoon. 
These meetings were kept up for several years, and 
with no little fruit. But they met with some oppo- 
sition. The head authorities of the Church heard of 
them, and called on the provincial Consistory for a 
report on the subject. The Consistory answered 
that to all appearance the action of the young pastor 
and his wife deserved only the warmest encourage- 
ment. 

One of the most perplexing features of Stier's 
earnest pastoral work was his effort to bring about 
some degree of Church discipline. In a German 
village, where things usually linger in the same rut 
from generation to generation, this was exceedingly 
difficult. And he found little encouragement in this 
work either among his fellow-pastors or with the 
civil authorities. He began the work, however, and 
did all that an earnest, resolute pastor could effect. 
By using the attractive power of a sincere desire to 
do good to the offenders, and by falling back, in case 
of necessity, upon his right to exclude from the com- 
munion of the Lord's Body, he succeeded in chang- 
ing the manner of life of not a few notorious 
offenders. 

Another effort, in which he spent much time and 



2i6 RunoLF Stier. 

labor, was to do away with the utterly offensive and im- 
moral manner in which it had been customary to cele- 
brate the festival of Whitsuntide. Instead of a season 
properly observed in commemoration of the descent of 
the Holy Ghost, it had come to be a very carnival of 
folly. The folly culminated in a monster buffoon pro- 
cession, participated in by nearly all the youth of the 
community, wherein almost all forms of coarseness 
and immorality were not only personated, but some- 
times even perpetrated. There existed civil enact- 
ments against such exhibitions, but they had fallen 
to a dead-letter. Stier not only used all moral means 
to reach his end, but also recalled to life these dor- 
mant laws — largely doing away with the nuisance in 
his own parish. 

Still another relbrm, which cost him much pains, 
was an effort to bring about a better observance 
of the Sabbath. But in this he w^as less success- 
ful. The civil authorities but feebly seconded his 
endeavors. 

Another and different phase of Stier's activity at 
Frankleben was an effort to obtain from his superiors 
the privilege of deviating slightly from the new 
*' Union " liturgy in certain cases — for example, to 
use words which would not so nearly imply sacra- 
mental regeneration in infant baptism, and to omit 
portions of the long prayer prescribed for sick-bed 
visits, thus leaving the pastor more time for freely 
exhorting or praying, according to the needs of the 
particular case. But notwithstanding the pains he 
had taken to obtain these slight concessions, the re- 
sult was simply nothing. 



Literary, 217 

Hand in hand with the above manifold reformatory 
labors of Stier in his own parish, went unabated a 
wide stream of literary activity. It was partly of a 
fugitive character — reviews of books for Hengsten- 
berg's and other journals. Also he wrote many un- 
printed ones. Professor Nitzsch, of Bonn, wrote to 
him in 1830: ''Thank you, for your recension of my 
' System of Christian Doctrine/ I have been able 
to accept more and to derive more benefit from your 
unprinted critique than from the five or six which I 
have read in the journals. I have only to object to 
you that you insist on certainly knowing, and on 
stating as certain, so many things which have no 
clear scriptural text for them, nor can be certainly 
proved by any body in Christendom.'* 

The next published works of Stier were a volume 
of contributions to Keryktics, entitled, *' Twenty 
Biblical Sermons," * and '' Luther's Catechism Eluci- 
dated," f (both in 1832.) The sermons were well 
received, and bore the plain impress of their author. 
A friend wrote to him : '' You needed not to place 
your name on the title-page ; one cannot fail to dis- 
cover in them the author of the '' Words of the 
Apostles," and of the '' Keryktics." The Catechism 
was a work of great painstaking and of solid worth. 
Men like Nitzsch, Schmieder, Draseke, etc., esteemed 
it very highly. But it was adapted for teachers rather 
than for children. 

As to Stier's intercourse with his brother pastors 
of the diocese, it could not be very cordial. He 

"^^ Zwanzig bibliscJie Frcdigtcii. Kempten, 1832. 
\ Luther s Katechisnuts, etc., crkh'ui. Bedin, 1S32. 



2iS Rudolf Stier. 

i;iadly attended occasional voluntary meetings which 
they held, and endeavored prudently to promote the 
cause of the truth. But the prevalent Rationalism 
rendered any hearty co-operation impossible. As was 
the custom, Stier had selected a neighboring pastor 
as his own father-confessor. On some of the pastors 
he felt that he had exerted a wholesome influence. 
This was especially the case with an interesting 
young preacher who was subject to periods of great 
soul-anguish, if not despair. He would come to 
Stier and spend days with him, confessing to him 
his sins with the most child-like frankness. Stier 
found it very difficult to bring him into the light of 
Christian freedom. 

On turning to Stier's more unofficial life in this 
period, we find it also quite rich and varied. Con- 
genial friends visited them from all ends of the fa- 
therland. His diary mentions within two years 
nearly two hundred visits from important persons, 
exclusive of relatives. When Prelate Haasenritter 
asked of a Frankleben peasant how his parishioners 
liked their new pastor, he answered, *' Pretty well, 
your Worship, but the Lord knows he has cousins 
all over the world." From time to time they were 
favored with visits from their many relatives. Among 
others was Carl Nitzsch, who came from Bonn, with 
his whole family, in 1831. During his stay he 
preached a festival sermon for Stier. 

As to PLrnestine, her life was little less busy than 
that of Stier. Her noble ambition to do excellently 
in all respects rendered her life a ceaseless activity. 
And like all true Christians, she was but little con- 



Maternity, 219 

tented with her success. In September, 1829, she 
wrote to her sister Louise : — 

"Dear Louise: My soul has already had many 
struggles during the short experience that we 
have had here. If I had formerly been able to con- 
ceive of our present condition — this quiet, simple, 
rural life, in our present calling, and then our two 
children, all of us in moderate health — I would have 
been foolish enough to fancy that I should now be 
perfectly happy. But I thank the good Lord that he 
allows me to find neither rest nor peace in any thing 
other than in a deeper sense of my own weakness, 
and in a constantly growing consecration to his holy 
will. It is sometimes a great sorrow to me that I am 
so incapable of being a housewife, and yet must not 
only be one, but, as Rudolfs wife, must also find 
time and strength for other work." 

And in another letter to the same : " You know 
well how much I love my offspring. Were I in your 
case I would eagerly long for children, and be less 
resigned than you without them. Yet I see, that in 
this desire for them there lies no little self-deception, 
as is in fact the case with any desire that is not 
based directly on the Lord. Alas ! when one ac- 
tually has children, then many things become more 
difficult than before. I do not say this as a mere 
comfort to you, but simply as my own experience. 
Irrespective of the bodily sufferings, which are soon 
"forgotten in our joy in the child, there is a constant 
temptation to let the thousand little outer cares 
which children require prevent us from giving due 



220 Rudolf Stier. 

attention to the culture of the inner Hfe ; for example, 
Rudolf and I find too little time now for confidential 
speaking with each other of the growth of our own 
souls. And then the tender innocence of children 
passes away so soon, leaving upon us the serious 
responsibility of training them, and of guarding 
against the outbreakings of sin.'* 

Complementive of this, we add here the following 
passage, in which Stier expresses to a friend some- 
what of his own domestic experience: '* One thing I 
would like to say to you, namely, that as a general 
rule I positively look upon marrying as an imperative 
duty, both for preachers and teachers ; it alone pre- 
pares them for properly fulfilling the requirements of 
their calling. It is only in one's own children that 
one makes those deep experiences and discoveries 
which those who are childless usually lack, but which 
teachers and preachers so much need. It is usually 
in one's own domestic life that, as a rule, even the 
Christian acquires that delicate appreciation for the 
domestic relations of those among whom one has to 
work, which is so necessary to success." 

As to the housekeeping of Ernestine, her own 
above-cited self-depreciation is of course to be taken 
simply as an expression of Christian humility. No 
one else judged of her so lowly as herself. She w^as 
in fact a very good approximation to an ancient 
ideal : " She looked well to the ways of her house- 
hold, and ate not the bread of idleness ; she stretched 
out her hands to the poor, and her own children rose 
up and called her blessed ; she opened her mouth 
with wisdom, and in her tongue was the law of kind- 



A7t Angel of Mercy, 221 

ness." Wherever she went she shed about her the 
sweet fragrance of a tenderly charitable Christian 
life. Here at Frankleben she was an angel of mercy 
to the suffering in the parish. With the help of two 
or three other ladies she gave systematic attention 
to the needy females of the whole village. If a 
child was sick, she gave it almost a mother's care ; 
if it died, she endeavored to give such consolations 
as only a woman can give. At certain seasons she 
gathered together the poorest children and gave 
them clothing and other help. Her own children she 
watched over most tenderly. She instructed them 
herself in all the elements : reading, writing, etc. 

In February, 183 1, her little circle was increased 
by a daughter — christened Pauline. Her joy in this 
fresh gift of God enabled her the more readily to 
bear the many strokes that were soon to fall upon 
her family. In September of the same year her 
sister, Julia Gernhard, was left a widow — to survive 
but three years. In October, she expressed to 
Louise her fears that she should not again see her 
father alive. Dr. Nitzsch seemed also to share the 
same forebodings. In his letter of rejoicing at the 
birth of his thirty-second grandchild, Pauline, he 
had said to Ernestine : *' I am moderately well, but 
feeble enough. This next spring I shall finish the 
fiftieth year of my ministry ; but I shall tell the day 
to no one, and I desire to pass it alone and in quiet 
devotion. I hope I may succeed in doing so. These 
times are agitated and uncertain. Much mortality ! 
Gass, Westermeier, Koch already gone, and I feebly 
linger behind ! " 



222 Rudolf Stikk. 

JUit he did not succeed in it : the day was found 
out, and hi'j;h and low from far and near vied with 
each other in doing honor to the worthy octogena- 
rian, now at the close of a half century of faithful 
work. But his work was now over. On the fifth 
of December a febrile ailment snatched him away. 
Ernestine was only able to reach Wittenberg before 
his interment. 

Other deaths of relatives soon followed, so that 
Ernestine could w^rite : '' We are continually directed 
to the upper world. Our attachment to this one 
grows steadily less ; were it not for my children, I 
could but desire to depart also." On the breaking 
up of her own family at Wittenberg, Stier felt a 
strong desire to introduce her into his own. To 
this end a three weeks' visit to Lithuania was 
planned, and undertaken in October, 1832. Of course 
the rejoicing of all parties was very great, but espe- 
cially that of Father Stier, who greatly prided him- 
self in the reputation of his son. The visit was pro- 
longed somewhat, that they might be present at the 
wedding of Rudolfs fourth sister, Natalie. Father 
Stier desired to have Rudolf perform the ceremony, 
but the legal pastor of the parish would not give way 
to the dangerous " mystic " from abroad. On their 
way back they had pleasant interviews with Olshau- 
sen and others. 

On re-entering the village parsonage, they felt 
more than ever that it was now their only earthly 
home. This brings us to the close of Stier's first 
three vears in Frankleben. 



.a.^^\ 




CHAPTER XIII. 

Six Further Years at Frankleben — Call to 
Westphalia. 

[October, 1832, to October, 1838.] 

~XVl^7HENEVER Stier and his wife found time 
^ to speak with each other as to the prospects 
of the Frankleben parish, their uniform re- 
gret was that there was observable in it so little real 
desire for a deep acquaintance with godly things. 
Stier was often sadly discouraged by discovering 
that much of the kindness shown to him was done 
simply out of respect to his person, rather than out 
of love to his Lord. Still there was a little circle 
of awakened souls in whom the divine Word took 
deeper and deeper root. Also, his influence ex- 
tended to the neighboring parishes, and not a few 
came regularly to hear him from considerable dis- 
tances. But his greatest desire was to bring about 
a general religious life in the whole community ; and 
to this end he labored, by faithfully proclaiming the 
plain, deep truths of the Bible. But at times he be- 
came almost discouraged. "Would that I might 
soon see a revived life in my society ! " wrote he in 
1833. ''It has for some time been heavily lying 
upon my heart." And it needed such letters as 
Von Meyer sent him to revive his courage. '' Go 
on fearlessly sowing the seed," wrote he ; " the earth 



224 Rudolf Stier. 

and the frosts will cover it up, but still it will grow. 
Remember that the vear begins with the end of 
autumn ; we must not expect Easter in November." 

He had also the pleasure of discovering a general 
improvement in the outward morality of the whole 
parish. Just before Whitsuntide, in 1835, the young 
people sent a committee to wait on him and ask his 
approbation of a series of reformed and innocent 
amusements which they desired to substitute in 
the place of the former gross ones. Stier cheerfully 
gave his assent, and the affair passed off with the 
greatest decorum, so that also in this respect Frank- 
leben became a model for the neighboring parishes. 

In 1837 Stier became interested in the temperayice 
cause, and so soon as he convinced himself of the 
fallacy of the objections urged against it, he began to 
work for it in his own parish, and soon organized a 
society, at the head of which stood his church patrons 
and the village school-masters. Stier promoted the 
cause by writing popular temperance tracts, and by 
preaching temperance sermons. The society existed 
for many years, and its salutary effects are still 
visible in the general habits of the villagers. 

But this step in Stier gave his enemies the desired 
occasion to heap upon him a torrent of abuse and 
ridicule. "Fanatic," "mystic," and other kindred 
epithets, were liberally bestowed upon him. But 
there was a vein of rough common sense among the 
masses that earnestly took his side. Dr. Tholuck 
relates that once, while sitting in a promiscuous 
company in a tavern, he heard a conversation turn 
upon the Frankleben pastor. To the question. 



What a Mystic Is. 225 

"What sort of a preacher is he?" the answer was 
given, "He is a mystic." And to the further ques- 
tion, "What kind of folks are mystics?" the answer 
came, "They are such preachers as live out what 
they preach." But amid all the abuse heaped upon 
Stier, he was able to write to his father, " My own 
societies, thank God ! know that I preach to them 
the true Word of God, and that I seek the good of 
their souls, however severe things I may have to say 
to them. They love me so much that no one could 
alienate them from me." Several years later, how- 
ever, he could not have expressed himself so sweep- 
ingly. His zeal for reform finally raised up some 
enemies even in his own societies. 

The consciousness that he did not and could not 
have full communion with his neighbor pastors awoke 
in Stier an all the greater desire to stand in spiritual 
communion with the real children of God in all 
climes and lands. The medium to this was the mis- 
sion cause, and for this cause he kept up a lively 
interest. In 1833, ^^d later, he actively co-operated 
with Tholuck, Guerike, and others, in the missionary 
society at Halle, until an unhappy sectarian strife 
disturbed and checked the work. 

The narrow confessional zeal which sprang up 
about this time had the general effect to direct Stier 
more than ever, in his literary labors, to the field of 
strictly biblical theology. 

The next fruit of Stier's literary labor at this 
period was his New System of Hebrew Grammar.* 

* Neugeordnetes Lehrgebdude der heO?'. Sprache, Leipzig, 1833. 
Berlin, 1849. 



y 



226 Rudolf Stiek. 

It was the product of years of study, and appeared 
in 1833. '^ I'^c L;'encral reception of the work was not 
very hearty. Its author was not a university profess- 
or, but only a country pastor! His friends, however, 
were dehghted with it. Von Meyer said that it was 
very thorough and very lucid — two rarely united 
qualities. On the whole, it was more widely received 
in Holland and America than in Germany, and by 
Catholics more than by Protestants. 

In 1834 appeared "Seventy Selected Psalms,"* 
a critical commentary based on the Hebrew text. 
'* Go on more and more," exclaimed Von Meyer to 
him, "with this scholarly, searching, pneumatico- 
grammatical labor, and may the Spirit of the Lord 
guide you continually!" Schmieder thought that 
there was some degree of danger in attempting to 
reduce the full spiritual meaning of the Psalms to 
logically definite statements. De Wette assailed the 
work very harshly. Stier debated whether he ought 
not to reply to him, but concluded to consult Nitzsch. 
Nitzsch replied: "Write against De Wette only in 
case you can at the same time contribute something 
to science or to the religious life of the church, so 
that thus the personal element may be merely inci- 
dental to the essential. I, at least, have made it a 
rule to write not even a critique, to say nothing of 
an anti-critique, of a book, save when I can thereby 
add something to the knowledge of the subject. It 
is true, De Wette has spoken unjustly and untruly, 
not only of your whole exegetical method, but also 
of single points. He has, in fact, himself made, in 

* Sichzi^ ausgewdhltc Psabnoi, 2 vols. Halle, 1S34. 



To Refute or Not ? 227 

the Psalms, very many blunders. But have you not 
formerly also yourself treated him rather roughly ? " 
These words were of great value to Stier, for (as 
Schmieder said) " Nitzsch saw perfectly clearly, and 
honestly expressed what he saw." Stier did not 
need to refute De Wette. His exegetical ability was 
sufficiently acknowledged and vindicated before the 
public when Umbreit ^mdiA^ honorable mention of his 
''Hebrew Grammar" and of his '* Psalms" in the 
Studien und Kritikeji, 

His friends now urged Stier to undertake critical 
expositions of other books of the Old Testament. 
He felt, however, called to work more directly for 
the religious life of the Church. His Catechism 
being exhausted, he now carefully prepared a new 
edition. He also issued it in a more elementary 
form, and in many ways worked for the better relig- 
ious training of the youth. That the people might 
have a collection of fresh evangelical sermons, he 
preached and carefully edited a volume of " Sermons 
on the Epistles,"* (Halle, 1837.) It was well re- 
ceived. Nitzsch wrote to him : " I think this book 
will find many readers, and make many into friends 
who once opposed you." 

Also Stier's poetical talent was not allowed entire- 
ly to rest. He occasionally contributed poems or 
hymns to various annuals, etc. But he employed it 
chiefly in editing a new hymn-book, a work that cost 
him great pains, and no little ill-will from some 
quarters. He had become heartily sick of the 
watery, emasculated verses that had crept into the 

* Epistcl Prcdii^ten fur das christl. VoIi\ 
16 



228 Rudolf Stier. 

German Church, and he longed for something more 
rich and scriptural. But it was hazardous for a 
single individual to undertake a work which, in order 
to reach its object, had to obtain the approbation 
of dignified official bodies. But the felt want was 
enough to set Stier at this work. He hoped Provi- 
dence would open the way for its introduction, if it 
deserved it. His labor consisted mostly in collecting, 
selecting, and carefully emending. In 1834 a good 
part of the manuscript was ready. The opinions of 
his friends were as various as their individual tastes. 
For some he had changed too much ; for others too 
little, etc. Nitzsch wrote : '' I am confident that you 
have a calling for this work ; I wish you persever- 
ance in it, but also great prudence." After due 
consideration of the suggestions of his friends, Stier 
published the book. And now began a protracted 
series of assaults upon it, chiefly from Church 
officials. They persisted in forbidding its public use, 
not even admitting it into his own parish. But nev- 
ertheless the book sold well, and became a favorite 
devotional help in many pious families. 

The decision of a Consistory that Stier had done 
a work for which there was really no call, set him 
upon a thorough examination of the matter. The 
result was another book. He collected and thor- 
oughly criticised no less than twenty-one hymn- 
books then in use in Saxony, and published the re- 
sult under the title of ''The Hymn-Book Crisis." 
The eftect was a very wholesome one. Within a 
few years a very manifest improvement was made in 
the field of hymn-books. 



Domestic Life. 229 

Another literary enterprise at this period was a 
thorough revision of Luther's German Bible in the 
light of Von Meyer's emendations. It was a work 
of immense pains, requiring the comparison of the 
text with the original, and the preparing of carefully 
sifted parallels to the whole Bible. 

As to Stier's social life during his last years at 
Frankleben, it remained about as before. For both 
him and Ernestine it was a life of unwearying toil. 
Friends poured in upon them from all sides. Friend- 
ly as Stier was, this sometimes deranged his work more 
than he could have desired. And upon Ernestine it 
was more wearing still. In a letter to a friend she 
exclaimed : " Our time is very much occupied. My 
husband has not a moment of leisure. In the sum- 
mer, when his official work is less, there come so 
many visitors ! and usually they stay over night. 
They are all very dear to us — but it costs time. In 
entertaining them I make no other change than 
simply to increase the quantity of our dishes — no 
matter how renowned they may be ; otherwise we 
could not practice so much hospitality." 

Nor did Stier and his wife enjoy at this time a 
very rugged health. His much sitting induced 
chronic physical ailments. He was also troubled 
with dyspepsia and sleeplessness. His old ankle- 
trouble renewed itself, so that for a while he had to 
preach sitting. As a diversion he sometimes in- 
dulged in chess — especially if it did not interfere 
with a profitable conversation. 

His little family circle continued to increase. To 
the three children already mentioned, were added a 



230 Rudolf Stier. 

son in 1835, (born on the morning of a festival day 
requiring him to preach four sermons,) a daughter in 
1836, and another in 1838. 

As much as Stier and his wife possibly could, they 
devoted themselves to their children, teaching them 
and mingling in their plays. But they could not 
entirely supplant the school. Generally they man- 
aged to have a private instructor supply their own 
lack. The oldest boy was sent away, at a tender 
age, to the gymnasium of Wittenberg. To Ernes- 
tine this separation — sometimes a year at a time — 
was very hard. She wrote to her sister: '' I had a 
foreboding that it was really his definitive exit from 
his father's house and his mother's hands, and my 
heart was almost broken ; and yet I was fully con- 
vinced that it was for his good. Of course it can be 
only a necessary evil that he should pass so early 
out of our hands." 

In 1837, Ernestine was very sick for several weeks. 
Stier wrote to Schmieder: " Her life was in evident 
danger, and yet I could not give her all my atten- 
tion ! " On the day when she was worst, he had to 
attend two public services, to catechise twice, to visit 
the schools, and, in the intervals, to transact business 
with the — visiting — Superintendent of the diocese. 
Ernestine's recovery was very slow. The children 
had to defer their Christmas festival until late in 
January, and then to celebrate it at the bed-side of 
their mother. On her partial recovery, she was 
greatly restored by a visit to Louise at Wittenberg. 

We now approach the close of Stier's pastorate in 
Frankleben. For nearly nine years he had there 



The Wupperthal. 231 

faithfully preached the Gospel. But it was a country 
place of very little culture — evidently not the most 
appropriate place for Stier's solid abilities. The 
slight salary was quite disproportionate to the labor 
required. His family had now grown numerous and 
more expensive. The income from his writings was 
but seventy or eighty thalers annually. Who, then, 
would blame Stier had he looked about for a better 
place } His friends urged him to do so. They sug- 
gested a chief pastorate in Konigsberg, a professor- 
ship in Dorpat, etc. The new superintendent of his 
diocese, Draeseke, was disposed to help him to promo- 
tion. But Stier was unwilling to take the initiative. 
He said : " I am convinced that the Lord himself will 
call me, when I am to go.'' 

The initiative was now taken by others. Pastor 
Sander was about to be called away from the pastor- 
ate of Wichlinghausen, (one of the parts of Barmen,) 
in the religiously famous Wupperthal (valley of the 
Wupper) of Rhenan Prussia. The authorities wrote 
to Stier, in March, 1838, asking him to deliver a mis- 
sionary address at a Bible Society anniversary, so 
that the clergy and people of the region might form 
his acquaintance, in view of calling him into their 
midst. The prospect was inviting. Barmen was the 
burning focus of the warmest religious life in Ger- 
many. The location was pleasant — some twenty 
miles north-east of Bonn. Ernestine was overjoyed at 
the prospect of being so near her brother. Stier 
turned to this brother for advice. Nitzsch replied to 
him substantially : ^* The society in Wichlinghausen 
is intelligent and full of religious life. But owing to 



232 Rudolf Stier. 

the great influence which the Collenbuschites * there 
still retain, it is not easily managed. It requires two 
sermons each Sabbath, and a great deal of pastoral 
visiting. It barely supports a family. Sander has 
the reputation of having surpassed other Wupperthal 
pastors in faithfully performing his pastoral labors ; 
and he was able also to do a large amount of literary 
work. Still, the people there would rather discour- 
age than encourage book-making in their pastors. 
On the whole, many things would attract me thither, 
and many would dissuade me. The all-absorbing 
interests are religion and trade, missions and rail- 
roads. Bibles and steam-engines ; for art or science 
there is little taste, hardly even for politics. So far 
as I can judge, your abilities would there find good 
scope, and would supplement many defects. You 
would also ward off the factious spirit of sect better 
than many good men have succeeded in doing. But 
whether you could there continue your theological 
activity as you now do, I venture neither to affirm 
nor to deny. Consider well also your pedestrian 
abilities. For the walks which your office would 
there require you to make are often very wearisome." 
Stier concluded to accept the invitation, and deliver- 
ed the address in June, 1838. To his pleasant surprise, 
he found that the synod of the province was then in 
session. It was an excellent opportunity to meet the 
clergy and other chief religious men of the province, 
and thus learn something of the dominant spirit of the 
Rhenish Church. He was most heartily welcomed, 

* Followers of the able but fanatically inclined theologian, Collen- 
busch. 



A Clerical Supper, 233 

and nearly overwhelmed with invitations to preach — 
a thing much rarer in Germany than in America. 

The impression made upon him may be judged 
of from the following, which he, substantially, wrote 
to Ernestine : " One is so revived here as almost to 
believe that the kingdom of God has fully come. 
Sunday I preached in the great church of Wupper- 
feld. I have rarely seen such an audience ; four 
thousand were in the church, and many others had to 
turn away. The Lord gave me joy and freedom to 
preach in my own manner, (the Wupperthal preach- 
ers all write out and memorize their sermons.) The 
people were well pleased, save that some did not hear 
me distinctly enough. On Wednesday came the 
anniversary occasion, (at Elberfeld.) The first exer- 
cise was a pleasant, neat sermon by Sack, of Bonn ; 
then came my address. At its close bookseller 
Hassel asked me for the manuscript, that he might 
publish it. The service lasted from three and a half 
to six o'clock P. M. Then came a* curious sort of 
Bible Society supper. The place was a large hall ; 
the refreshments were cold and quite simple. You 
can hardly imagine how such an affair goes off here. 
Itwas an odd mingling of tobacco-smoking, hymn-sing- 
ing, praying, speech-making, wine-drinking, and free 
conversation ! In the large crowded room there was 
scarcely a person who was not eminent in his sphere 
in life, and who did not fervently love the Lord. 
Yesterday I came to magnificent Cologne, and am 
now with Dr. Nitzsch, at Bonn. The partisans of 
my rival for Wichlinghausen are very active. They 
have had him come also and preach. I greeted him 



234 Rudolf Stier. 

heartily, and now leave him free field. I have com- 
mitted the whole matter to the L(jrd, and can, for the 
present, only say to you, that you may confidently 
count on coming here before long, though the con- 
trary is still possible. For you, my Ernestine, I can 
most heartily rejoice, for you would come into a real 
paradise. All the ladies I have here met are the 
dearest Christian women one could wish for, and 
they greatly long to see you. Only think of it ! 
The people are wanting me here also for another 
church, near Bielefeld, and insist that I come and 
preach for them next Sunday. Of course, I cannot 
entertain the proposition. I shall leave the matter 
where it now rests. A mere transfer to this province 
without the peculiar circumstances of the Wupperthal, 
I do not recognize as the Divine will.'' 

The next Sabbath, Stier preached in a church near 
Wichlinghausen. The impression made was very 
favorable. He won over some who had hitherto op- 
posed his call. Before starting home he took care 
to explain himself oti some points as to which he 
might afterward incur opposition. He let the society 
know fully his position as to confession-fees, and also 
as to the temperance cause. The latter revelation 
took place quite accidentally. As he was sitting by 
the side of Sander at an evening refreshment, a blaz- 
ing pudding was served up. Sander, the only tem- 
perance apostle in the neighborhood, being absorbed 
in conversation, took a piece without suspicion. 
When it was offered to Stier, he remarked quite 
distinctly : *' No, I thank you ; I am a member of 
a temperance society, and indulge in 7inn under no 



A Bare Majority, 235 

form whatever." Whereupon, Sander also, observ- 
ing what he had taken, returned his plate with no 
less emphasis. 

These and other precautions having been taken, 
Stier was now soon again in the bosom of his family. 
It only remained for the majority of electoral votes 
to be cast for him, and of obtaining this he was 
pretty confident. Schmieder, who shared the same 
opinion, wrote to Ernestine: '*I am, in my heart, 
sure that Rudolf will be chosen. At least the people 
in Wichlinghausen would be simpletons if they did 
not select him. They can certainly find no other 
one who were comparable to him. Also for Rudolf, 
it will be beneficial to receive a new field. New 
tasks develop new gifts, and awaken more potently 
the spirit of prayer. A new office has a rejuvenat- 
ing power, and gives a new birth to one's old 
attainments.'' 

But the election of Stier was not accomplished so 
readily as had been anticipated. Old parties in the 
Church embraced the occasion for measuring their 
strength anew. Other candidates were voted for. 
The result was that of the forty-eight electoral votes 
only twenty-six were cast for Stier — a bare majority. 
But still it was an election. And multitudes of let- 
ters soon flowed in upon Stier, congratulating him 
on the result. In the letter of acceptance which he 
soon sent, he took occasion to say that he hesitated 
all the less to come to a Church where such a large 
minority had voted against him, as he was certain 
that this result rested upon other ground than per- 
sonal opposition to him, who was a complete stranger. 



2^6 Rudolf Stier. 

Accordingly, he hoped that his faithful preaching of 
the truth would soon quiet all opposing elements 
into a onc-mindcdness for the cause of the Lord. In 
this spirit Stier accepted the call. And he never re- 
gretted it, notwithstanding the many trials that there 
awaited him. 

The next thing to be done was to dissolve the re- 
lations with his Frankleben societies. This w^as a 
trying work, for the two societies had become greatly 
endeared to him. He had now served them over 
nine years. His greatest anxiety was that they 
should obtain a truly evangelical pastor in his stead. 
In one of his last sermons, while it was yet uncer- 
tain who would come after him, he took a step that 
created no little sensation, and was disapproved of 
by some, namely, he preached a careful exposition of 
the strong passage in Gal. i, 8, 9, w^hich pronounces 
a curse upon whoever preaches any other than the 
true Gospel. It sounded to some like an ill-advised 
dictation to his successor.* His object, however, was 
simply to confirm as fully as possible the impressions 
which he had so long and so earnestly labored to 
make. The fruit of his boldness was, on the whole, 
good. On the next Sabbath he preached his fare- 
well sermon proper. 

Before quitting Frankleben, Stier had the great 
pleasure of a visit from his aged mother. Who 
would then have suspected that this lady of sixty 

* Stier was often a much misunderstood man, like St. Paul and so 
many others. But upon me he made the impression of the most 
utter frankness. F. BoswiNKEL, 

{Present Pastor in IVichlin^hattsen.) 



yourneying. 237 

would yet outlive Ernestine, and even Rudolf 
himself ? 

On the last of October a delegated officer from 
the Wichlinghausen society took charge of Stier's 
effects, furnished him personal conveyance, and set 
out with him and family for the Wupperthal. After 
a final farewell to their beloved parishioners, their 
course led by way of Weimar, Cassel, etc., until on the 
evening of the fifth day, when they arrived in Hagen. 
Here they were met by delegates from their new 
parish, who were to conduct them the next day to 
their future home. 



CHAPTER XIV. 

First Pastoral Labors in Barmen — Ernestine's 

Death. ♦ 

[November, 1838, to April, 1839.] 

tHE *' Wuppcrthal" is a synonym throughout 
Germany for lively, aggressive • Christianity. 
Its active religious life reaches far back toward 
the Reformation. The two Protestant Churches 
came, there, into early conflict. The Lutheran 
Church decreed, as late as in 1769, that none of 
their members should be eligible as presbyters, who 
had " Reformed " wives ! The Church organism 
there is a compromise between the Lutheran and 
the Presbyterial systems. The whole membership 
elect a certain number who are called '' representa- 
tives." The body of representatives elects the pastor 
and the prcsbytcriuvi. A large part of the church 
business is done, not by the pastor, but by the pres- 
byterium, of which the pastor is chairman. 

The spirit of mysticism took early root in the 
Wupperthal. Some of its adherents exerted a most 
lasting and, in general, salutary influence — such as 
Tersteegen, Hasenkamp, Collenbusch, and Menken 
of Bremen. The Churches of the place have been 
noted for their strict discipline. It is only of recent 
years that, among the more than one hundred thou- 
sand inhabitants of the double city of Elberfeld and 



Welcome! 239 

Barmen, a single theater has had the least encour- 
agement In missionary zeal Barmen is a second 
Basle. 

Such was the field of Stier's new pastoral labor. 
Sander, his predecessor, had, during a sixteen years' 
ministry, breathed a fresh spirit into the Church, and 
had manfully fought against Rationalists on the one 
hand, and fanatics on the other. Stier, while inti- 
mately befriended with Sander, was a very differ- 
ently constituted man, and would be naturally in- 
clined to speak out against prevailing errors in a 
much more positive manner. 

The 6th of November, 1838, was fixed for Stier's 
"entrance" into Wichlinghausen. It is the custom 
in that region that the people observe such an occa- 
sion with great parade. As we have already seen, 
Stier was met by several Church officers and their 
ladies, on the evening previously, at Hagen. The 
formal reception took place the next day at a village 
half way toward Barmen. Here they found an im- 
mense procession of carriages and riders drawn up 
awaiting them. Further on they were joined by 
twelve neighboring pastors. Still further on they 
were welcomed by Superintendent (Bishop) Sneth- 
lage in the name of the Synod; and. by the burgo- 
master in the name of the community ; and, finally, 
by the president of the synod in the name of the 
whole Rhenish Church. Unfortunately the day was 
unfavorable, as a constant rain was falling — seemingly 
prophetic of the tears that were to flow so abundantly 
in the new parsonage ! And now, after a short pas- 
sage through spectator-crowded streets, the proces- 



240 Rudolf Stikk. 

sion came to a halt. There, before them on the right, 
stood the plani old church, and on the left the neat 
commodious parsonage. But the next door to it was 
the entrance to the well-filled God's-acre, (grave- 
yard.) Did Ernestine, as she stepped from her 
carriage with her little Louise on her arms, have a 
'foreboding that in that very God's-acre the grass 
would soon be green above both of them ? Also 
Stier seemed, that day, rather serious than festive- 
minded. Much as he longed for rest after the 
wearying journey, he yet gladly followed out the 
programme of the day. After a general prayer- 
service in the church, he repaired at four o'clock 
P. M. to a hall where a welcoming banquet was pre- 
pared for a hundred and fifty invited guests of both 
sexes. Stier invoked the divine blessing ; after the 
refreshments a hymn was sung; then Sander wel- 
comed Stier as his successor, in the name of the 
society ; whereupon Stier responded. The affair 
closed with hearty impromptu speeches by neigh- 
boring pastors, interspersed with sweet chorals by 
the Wichlinghausen choir. Such was Stier's " en- 
trance " and welcoming into his new parish. 

There remained four days for getting arranged in 
the new parsonage, and for preparation for the Sab- 
bath sermons. The commodious parsonage was 
furnished, according to Rhenish usage, with an 
abundance of the more heavy furniture, and with 
apparatus and provisions for the kitchen. The 
Wichlinghausen ladies had inquired of Mrs. Nitzsch, 
of Bonn, and other Saxon ladies, as to Saxon usage, 
so that their prei)arations might be as nearly as pos- 



Inducted mto Office. 241 

sible according to Ernestine's liking. The rooms of 
the house were all that could have been asked for. 
Besides apartments for the family it contained three 
for Church purposes — for catechizations, for the sit- 
tings of the presbyterium, etc. Stier was especially 
delighted with the fine library-room. Behind the 
house lay a garden, and abundant play-room for the 
children. 

On the first Sabbath took place the formal "induc- 
tion," by Superintendent Snethlage. The latter had, 
most literally, to induct Stier into the society, having 
to call upon the police to help him to open a passage 
through the solid mass which had crowded together 
to witness the debut of the new preacher. The in- 
side of the church was peculiar. Organ, pulpit, and 
altar stood in three stages, each above the other. 
Every available foot of space was occupied with 
crowded seats, so that, though small in appearance, 
the church yet accommodated three thousand au- 
ditors. 

At the close of Snethlage's induction address 
he turned to Stier and said : " Enter, then, upon your 
office, and be a messenger of good tidings. Be a 
Paul — a follower of Christ, clothed with his spirit of 
love, of power, and of discipline. May the ears and 
the hearts of the faithful be wisely strengthened by 
you. There are here newly converted ones : encour- 
age them by your example. There are sinking 
hands and trembling knees : confirm them in the 
faith. There are aged pilgrims : may they be quick- 
ened and filled with thankfulness by seeing the 
prosperity of Zion. But there are also mere mouth- 



242 Rudolf Stier. 

Christians and head-Christians, who profess the 
truth, but do not cherish it in their hearts. And 
there are hypocrites and enemies : be to them a two- 
edged sword, and strike from beneath them every 
false ground that opposes the true knowledge of 
Christ. In short, show yourself in all things a serv- 
ant of Christ ; preach the word ; persist at all times ; 
exhort and reprove with all faith and doctrine, and 
faithfully preserve that which is committed to you." 
Thereupon Stier entered the pulpit and delivered 
his opening sermon. It was a masterly union of 
conciliation and boldness. He had, said he, come 
among them to watch over their souls as a helper of 
the great Arch-shepherd. He would do his work 
faithfully. He would truly declare the pure word of 
God. Woe to him if he should knowingly deviate 
in the least therefrom ! He would show that mere 
knowledge and debate availed nothing, but only the 
life of faith. He would affirm the great truths of the 
Gospel, and refute errors of every class. In non- 
fundamentals he would express his own opinion, and 
be charitable with those who held different ones. 
He w^ould suggest to all : Seek and examine for your- 
selves. As shepherd of the flock it was his duty to 
warn it of danger. He would cry aloud and spare 
not. He would not be surprised if he should offend 
many of his members, and even all of them at times. 
He would not exercise his office to please men. He 
nad no intention of going about w^ith flattering 
words. He would have to intermeddle with things 
which some would say did not concern him. He 
would not hesitate to desii^nate as sin whatever is so 



Defining Himself, 243 

designated in the Word of God. But out of what 
motive would he do all this ? Out of true love, that 
he might gain them as eternal friends. He would 
not vex them with the law, without at the same time 
offering them the consolations of the Gospel. He 
prayed to be freed from all merely human censo- 
riousness and zeal, so that none might understand his 
earnest words to aim at any thing else than the cure 
of their souls. Finally, as he was but a poor sinner 
like others, he earnestly solicited the prayers and 
counsel of the children of God, that he might the 
better fulfill his responsible duties. 

" The impression made by Stier's presence and by 
his emphatic words," says Snethlage, *' was very great ; 
every mouth, far and near, was full of his praise, and 
all longed to hear him." His own society was most 
happily impressed. They soon made one discovery, 
however — that whatever he said was meant thorough- 
ly in earnest. This, of itself, was enough to awaken 
in some a feeling of unsympathetic apprehension. 

Stier entered upon his office with the full determi- 
nation not merely to play into the hands of the 
peculiar religious ways that had become domesticated 
in the Wupperthal, but also, wherever necessary, to 
strive to turn the current into a more healthy bed. 
Especially was he determined to maintain the dignity 
of the sacred office from the too great bondage to 
the society officials which had become the tendency 
in the Rhine Province. 

The earlier years at Wichlinghausen were perhaps 
the palmiest days of Stier s preaching. His large 
and appreciative audience gave him a new inspiration . 

17 



244 Rudolf Stier. 

The first year he preached chiefly on the parables in 
the forenoon, and in the afternoon on the Epistles to 
the Corinthians. It seemed to him that the letters 
to the Corinthians could not have been more appro- 
priate had they been written expressly for his society. 

As was his habit, he here gave great attention to 
the instruction of the children, not only publicly 
catechising them together, but also, before their con- 
firmation, having each one come to him privately, 
that he might the more thoroughly understand it 
and administer to its special wants. He even kept 
a record, carefully noting down his impression of 
each one in detail — which was no slight task, as they 
numbered some fifty or sixty, from year to year. To 
all of them he was a true spiritual father, sometimes 
weeping over their obduracy as if they were of his 
own blood. 

To the private cure of souls he devoted much care. 
It was cheering to him that, differently from the 
Frankleben society, the people here took it as a mat- 
ter of course that he should visit and admonish them 
in their homes. It was customary here that the new 
pastor should make a special call on each of the mem- 
bers. Laborious as this was, Stier gladly complied 
with it. When his official visit was over, the people 
expected him also to tarry and enter into general 
conversation. By doing so he soon thoroughly 
learned the peculiarities of his membership. But 
he was sorry to discover that in some cases his visits 
were not taken as an expression of Christian love, 
but were expected, and even exacted, as a sort of 
compliment to their persons. In some cases the 



Prospective Friction, 245 

members embraced the occasion to let their own light 
shine before their pastor, rather than to be instructed 
by him. One thing, however, he would not do ; 
namely, enter readily into conversation on worldly 
and unserious things. "He seemed to the society," 
said Snethlage, "too laconic, too little talkative, too 
averse to long conversations. Thus he displeased 
some. Perhaps he would have done better at first 
had he yielded a little more to this weakness of his 
society ; but this he could not do. Gradually they 
became more accustomed to his brief, sententious 
ways, and they were always overflowing with what 
he had preached to them." 

Of course, he found it rather difficult fully to 
please the two parties in his society. It were to be 
expected that the party that had opposed his call 
should at first be a little cool toward him. But the 
party that elected him was also quite ready to take 
offense. They seemed to think that, as he owed his 
call to them, he should therefore take them as his 
guides. This was utterly abhorrent to Stier's inde- 
pendent nature. The result proved that some who 
at first opposed him became in the end his warmest 
friends. 

Before Stier's arrival at Wichlinghausen a friend 
had written to him : " Here you will have more fric- 
tion ; but I am glad of it, for then you will give off 
more electricity." But whether he was now develop- 
ing the right sort of electricity was a question which 
he could not himself satisfactorily settle. He conse- 
quently wrote to Nitzsch at Bonn explaining his 
course, etc., and asking advice. Nitzsch replied to 



246 Rudolf Stiek. 

him comfortingly, saying that, from all that he could 
learn of his course, he had started out very wisely. 
A temporizing policy would be, thought he, the very 
worst possible one. 

With all of Stiers hopes and fears Ernestine 
deeply sympathized. The lively religious element 
with which she was here surrounded was balm to her 
soul. It was the same spirit as at Basle. Her 
greatest regret was to see Rudolf so absorbed, so 
overwhelmed with his work, that scarcely a moment 
of his time was left for wife and children. He stood 
here entirely alone, while in the other Barmen socie- 
ties there was an assistant pastor. His flock was 
scattered over a large neighborhood. This rendered 
his visits and private baptisms (here the custom) a 
very tedious and time-w^asting work. It was only 
the early morning hours that he could save for study. 
But the abundant fruits show how well he put them 
to use. The early hour of five usually found him at 
his desk with pen in hand, searching into the deep 
things of the sacred text. 

His general health was now better than usual ; 
otherwise he could not have stood up under the 
labors and trials that awaited him. The most terri- 
ble of these trials came most unexpected — the de- 
cease of his faithful wife. On reviewing his present 
experience in after years, he was accustomed to say 
that it was well, for one so sympathetically consti- 
tuted as Ernestine, that she did not live to share the 
trials that were to break in upon him. 

Ernestine seemed to be in her usual health the first 
four months of their new pastorate. Her six children 



Death of Ernestine, 247 

were all doing well. In Februaty, 1839, however, 
the oldest son fell sick of a nervous fever. His case 
was dangerous. Day and night the faithful mother 
watched at the bedside. When he began to recover, 
she made ready to take a little visit for recreation. 
When on the point of departure, however, she found 
herself unable to go. She took to her bed. The 
physician pronounced it a dangerous fever, and en- 
joined the most perfect quiet. Under these circum- 
stances Stier had to attend alone to the exhausting 
services of Easter. After four weeks of undermin- 
ing fever, Ernestine now approached a dangerous 
crisis. Severe inflammation set in. She was yet 
able to rejoice in the first birth-day anniversary of 
her youngest child. Tears of gladness streamed 
from her eyes as she gazed upon its tiny flower- 
crowned table at the door of her sick-room. Two 
days later her physician called for counsel. After 
consultation they declared that in all probability she 
could survive but a few hours. This news fell upon 
Stier just at this time utterly unexpected. Here- 
upon he fled to his closet and wrestled an hour 
before the Lord in agonizing prayer. On rising he 
had obtained the courage to approach Ernestine and 
tell her that the Lord was on the point of calling her 
home. " Yes ! " wrote he, four months later, " the 
Lord has stricken and bowed me low. I have had 
much experience, but never anything like this. Our 
marriage was a marriage of souls. Doubtless there 
are few such. The roots of the new-birth had locked 
together our inmost natures. In such cases death is 
a positive disrupting of the heart. We had formerly 



248 Rudolf Stier. 

calmly faced this eventuality, and fully talked it over. 
This time it .came so suddenly that I had but a sin- 
<;ic hour to reflect upon the stunning announcement. 
And when I imparted it to Ernestine she had but 
three conscious hours left. Then three unconscious 
ones, and she was no more. But her previous prepa- 
ration stood her here in good stead. She at once 
assumed a wonderful self-possession. After talking 
affectionately with her children she passed quiet- 
ly into the hands of her Lord, without anxiety or 
fear, either for us or for herself. The Lord abun- 
dantly supported her. She knew she was going to 
him. Of this, on being asked, she assured me, with 
the touching, simple words, ' Certainly I am ! * and, 
* You kiiozu me, Rudolf ! ' Thereupon she began to 
give directions about her children, etc., but at once 
arrested herself, saying, ' I will rather commit the 
whole simply into the hands of the Lord.' Her end 
was peace. She departed at one o'clock A.M., April 
20. Lentil morning I was enabled to hav^ perfect 
peace — yea, and to give thanks for her salvation. 
Afterward, however, grief took severe hold upon me ; 
but the comfort of grace never failed me." 

'' Yes," wrote one of her sons, '' those were blessed 
hours, never to be forgotten, when our mother, the 
evening before her departure, talked with us, with 
her usual gentle affectionateness, and gave us earnest 
advice for the future, when she would be no longer 
with us. Nor was it less so in the morning, when 
father gathered all the members of his household in 
the presence of the peacefully reposing deceased, 
and falling upon his knees committed himself and 



Condolence. 249 

his children in ardent prayer to the care of divine 
love." 

Her death occurred on Saturday morning. On 
the day following, the venerable and saintly Lmdl — 
once a renowned Catholic, now a Protestant — 
preached in the place of Stier. The funeral ser- 
mon was preached by Sander, to an immense mul- 
titude. On the Sabbath following Stier himself 
preached, also tenderly alluding to the virtues of the 
departed. 

For Ernestine's grave a spot was selected adjoin- 
ing the parsonage-yard. The separating grave-yard 
fence was then made to pass on the other side of the 
grave, so as to include it within the parsonage 
grounds. And now — since the new church has 
been built — her plain monument stands but a little 
distance from its entrance. 

It was some time before Stier recovered from the 
severe stroke that had fallen upon him. The abun- 
dant sympathy of Christian friends helped him in 
this not a little. Letters freighted with tears came 
in abundantly. Schmieder exclaimed : " The Lord's 
will be done ! this petition was the very essence of 
Ernestine's life. Her desires went not beyond this ; 
in this respect she was so admirable ! " Tholuck 
wrote : '^ Dearest brother ! I am melted in grief for 
you. Receive my warmest grasp of the hand ! I 
know well enough what you have lost." Sander 
wrote : " Your dear companion will not see the beau- 
tiful spring of the Wupperthal, but she will see the 
more glorious and eternal one whither we all expect 
the good Lord to call us also." 



250 Rudolf Stier. 

The spirit with which Stier bore his trials deeply 
impressed the whole society. They knew how deeply 
he had loved his wife. They saw now how calmly 
he went forward under the weight of his onerous 
responsibilities. They became convinced that only 
a heart thoroughly penetrated by grace could be at 
once so afflicted and so serene. They saw him go 
about beneficently among them as one whose eye 
took in at the same glance both the '* this-side " and 
the "yon-side." But they did not perceive what 
was equally true, — that his physical frame was grad- 
ually being undermined by its overtension. Wit- 
nessing there the strength of faith which he mani- 
fested, they gave their hearts more fully to him than 
before. 




CHAPTER XV. 
Further Labors in Barmen — Second Marriage. 

[April, 1889, to April. 1843.] 

^TIER had enjoyed the sympathy and society of 
his faithful wife for over fourteen years. It now 
seemed to him almost impossible to bear the burden 
of life without her help. The halls of his house 
seemed chilly and solitary. His little motherless 
children even increased the sense of loneliness. 
Faithful hands however came, and did what they 
could to lighten his cares. But his chief source of 
relief was to trust in the grace of God, and to devote 
himself with even greater zest to the work of his 
ministry. 

He now threw his soul into his sermons with 
unwonted energy. In the winter of 1839-40 he 
selected mainly very difficult and rich texts. The 
depth and ingenuity of some of his interpretations 
acted like a charm on the community. The sittings 
in his church would no longer suffice. Every pas- 
sage-way and standing-spot was utilized to the utmost. 
And his utterances were not simply heard and then 
forgotten ; they formed the theme of studious re- 
flection and conversation in the whole communit}\ 
A preacher so rich in Biblical knowledge, so skilled 



252 Rudolf Stiek. 

in text collating, and withal so redolent of the rich- 
est aroma of Christian love, had rarely been heard. 
What makes this the greater triumph for him is that 
his style had in it nothing of the meretricious. 
There were in it no flights of imagination, no shoot- 
ings-off of sky-rockets, no arts of rhetoric, no pander- 
ing to a vitiated taste, nothing theatrical, nothing 
dramatic, nothing sensational : his power lay sim- 
ply in his rich unfolding of the deep truths of the 
Bible. 

Sometimes, indeed, he astonished ; sometimes he 
unpleasantly jolted old stereotyped believers from 
their accustomed thought-rut ; sometimes he made 
some of them tremble for the traditional churchly 
landmarks ; sometimes he seemed to throw out from 
the text inferences which the Church had not yet 
found in them ; sometimes he had the air of intruding 
upon unrevealed mysteries : but never could his audi- 
tors mistake the spirit of deep reverence and humility 
with which it w^as done. Especially was it delight- 
ful to his hearers that he ever showed himself so 
ready, subsequently, to enter into private discussion 
of any misunderstood point. One of the subjects, for 
example, on which there was much difference of 
opinion, was the existence of an intermediate state 
betw^een death and the final state after the general 
judgment. In preaching on the parable of Lazarus 
and the rich man, he had spoken of such a state 
quite distinctly. Afterward he had long interviews 
with his chief members in regard to it, without, how- 
ever, coming to a full accord of opinion. This was 
only a dogmatic difference, and could easily be borne 



The ''Higher'' Life. 253 

with. It was not so easy, however, when his ser- 
mons coUided sharply with some of the rehgious 
habits of a portion of his flock. Some of them were 
warm admirers of Collenbusch. Their besetting ten- 
dency was to imagine that they had attained to 
extraordinary states of grace, and consequently to 
indulge in cant and spiritual pride. These ex- 
crescences were very distasteful to Stier. He gave 
such members plainly to understand that in his 
opinion a Christian is always injured by over-esti- 
mating his attainments, but never by under-estimat- 
ing them — so that it is always safer to err on the 
side of humility. The sermon which created the 
greatest offense in this respect was a plain applica- 
tion of the text, ^^ We are all unprofitable servants." 

After having preached on the chief passages in the 
*^ Acts," he began at Easter, 1841, a complete exege- 
sis of '' Hebrews," in consecutive sermons. Then 
followed '' Galatians " and the " Psalms." 

Soon after his arrival in Wichlinghausen he 
preached against the so-called " confession-fees." On 
his declining to receive such fees, his society gener- 
ously voted him an increase of one hundred thalers 
to his salary. But State-Churches are slow to reform. 
Stier has had in this respect a few zealous imitators, 
but the general law remains to-day as it was then. 
Reactionary journals, like that of Hengstenberg, 
opened their columns to the opponents of Stier's 
position, and the force of his example was counter- 
acted. 

Stier resumed and continued here his labor for the 
temperance cause. He at once joined the Wich- 



254 Rudolf Stier. 

linghaiiscn society, the only one then in Barmen. 
Through his labors, the cause took root also in the 
other societies. 

The missionary spirit he also carefully nurtured. 
Every month he held a missionary meeting instead 
of the afternoon service, delivering on the occasion 
interesting reports from the general work through- 
out the world. 

The instruction of the children was here a much 
more serious work than it had been at Frankleben. 
The whole number to be catechised was about three 
hundred. They were so classified as to require of 
the pastor four or five hours of work every week. 
He was glad to be able to introduce here his own 
catechism, and thus to teach according to his own 
method. As confirmation took place here quite late 
— in the sixteenth or seventeenth year — it afforded 
him ample opportunity to endeavor to effect their 
actual conversion before their reception into the 
Church. In all cases where a youth gave offense 
by his moral conduct, he was unsparingly denied 
confirmation. In some cases this subjected the 
faithful pastor to no little persecution from heads of 
families. 

The private visiting of his flock here was an im- 
mense task. In Frankleben he had kept a careful 
record of the condition of each member. Here that 
was impossible. His successor in Frankleben con- 
sulted him, in 1842, on the subject. Stier answered : 

" How light and pleasant, dear brother, is this work 
in your little flock ! True, there is work enough ; but 
yet you can easily get through with it if you give 



Pastoral Visiting, 255 

yourself wholly to it. It was very trying for me 
here, with my widely scattered membership of more 
than three thousand, to have to give up all hope of 
doing it fully, and even of becoming personally ac- 
quainted with them all. All I can do is to keep a 
complete list of all the houses where they dwell, and 
endeavor to visit them by households. But even 
this is almost impossible, as there is here much chang- 
ing of residence, and much transferring from one 
society to another. My experience is, that pastoral 
visiting is very fruitful, and should be attended to as 
much as possible. But it is effectual chiefly as a 
complement to the preaching. The proclaiming of 
the word is the chief thing ; into it we should throw 
our best forces. Our private word is too personal ; 
people will accept things from the pulpit which 
would offend them in private. Pastoral visiting has 
three chief ends : in general, to awaken confidence 
and to show how the pastor is a disciple of Christ in 
his private every-day life ; in particular cases, to 
rebuke or awaken preparatorily to the hearing of the 
sermon ; but, chiefly, to draw those who are already 
awakened nearer to the pastor and to the Lord.''* 

Such at least were the rules which Stier himself 
observed. He visited chiefly only where he had rea- 
son to hope for positive fruits. And whenever he 
fell in with truly inquiring persons, he was then no 
longer chargeable with being too curt and reticent. 
For here the stream gushed richly and fully from 
an overcharged heart. Hungry souls were fed, and 
thirsty ones abundantly watered. 

In regard to his visiting the sick, Stier was some- 



256 Rudolf Stier. 

times charged with neghgence. And yet, on exam- 
ination of the matter, an interested person was aston- 
ished to observe, in Stier's daily record, the great 
amount of this work which he had done. True, his 
visits of this kind did not always please. When the 
sick desired his attention, not out of a thirst for 
spiritual help, but as a compliment to themselves, they 
were very apt to perceive quite clearly that he saw 
through their motives, and to receive some very 
wholesome advice. 

With regard to his bearing toward his electoral oppo- 
nents, it was, as we have seen, frank, straightforward, 
and independent. This bore, m the end, better fruit 
than an excessive conciliatoriness would have done. 
Let a single case illustrate his general manner. A 
prominent member had taken offense, and wTitten 
him a letter which, while very arrogant in spirit, was 
yet perfectly respectful in form. Stier broke through 
the hypocritical form, and replied to its spirit with 
veritable hammer-strokes of frank honesty. His an- 
swer opened thus : 

"Honored Sir: I regret not to be able to answer 
your letter — which is polite only in form — in a strict- 
ly corresponding style. I must beg you to put up 
with my informal heartily-meant straightforwardness ; 
for we shall thereby all the better understand each 
other. I have never been fond of fine phrases, and 
hence I shall write to you just as my heart prompts 
me — at the risk of imposing upon your 'unbounded 
esteem' of me still narrower bounds than it already 
appears to have." 



Hammer-Strokes, 257 

Thereupon followed a cool unmasking of the real 
animus of the letter, and in conclusion an earnest ex- 
hortation to a better mind. With this m.an, Stier aft- 
erward stood on excellent terms. 

But what of Stier's literary activity at this period ? 
An ordinary man would have been utterly absorbed 
by the duties of so large a parish. Not so Rudolf 
Stier. It is precisely during his Barmen ministry 
that some of his finest works originated. Here were 
written his excellent elucidation of " Hebrews/' and 
his celebrated "Words of the Lord Jesus." Indeed, 
it is simply because he was in process of construct- 
ing these masterly works, that his ministry here was 
clothed with such power. It was in the precious 
morning hours of this period that he drank in, from 
the sacred Fountain, that richness of wisdom which so 
abundantly overflowed in his preaching and in his con- 
verse with his flock. But the action was reciprocal : 
his studies fructified his preaching, and his commun- 
ion with a vitally religious society gave fresh inspira- 
tion to his studies. Early in his pastorate here, Stier 
found occasion for criticising the hymn-book then in 
use. In his thick pamphlet on the subject, he clear- 
ly showed that Rationalism had left deep traces even 
in the Wupperthal ! Krummacher thus compliment- 
ed him for his effort : " Bravo ! that you have taken 
up the scourge ; and God be praised for helping you 
so vigorously to swing it ! I have never met with the 
hymn-book in question, but I now know it to abhor it. 
Be not concerned that you have occasionally indulged 
in biting irony ; you need not have a single gray hair 
the more for it. Baal is doubtless worthy of a little 



258 Rudolf Stiek. 

experiment t(3 discover whether he has fallen asleep 
or not. It is a i)ositive outrage, and especially for 
the good-reputed Wupperthal, to tolerate such a nui- 
sance in the sanctuary." 

In 1842 appeared, in two volumes, at Halle, Stiers 
Commentary on Hebrews.* Though popular and 
practical in form, it met with warm recognition from 
scientific theologians. It unhesitatingly mingled to- 
gether the scientific and the hortatory, (so repugnant 
to German savans,) thus addressing the whole man at 
the same time. This was in fact Stier s most marked 
peculiarity, namely, not to divorce the scientific from 
the practical, but to pass at once from a scientific 
thought to its bearing on the life, and, conversely, 
from a practical precept to its scientific demonstra- 
tion and basis. Thus there was in him little or none 
of that one-sidedness that clings to the majority of 
eminent men. He was neither a keen, clear-sighted 
Christian thinker with a dwarfed heart, nor a large- 
hearted practical worker indifferent to the philosophy 
of Christianity, but he was both of them in their 
good traits, and largely without their defects. 

This combining of the scientific with the practical, 
this speaking to the whole man, head and heart, at 
the same time, is the secret of the worth and popu- 
larity of his great work, the '' Words of the Lord Je- 
sus."! The rich germs of this work began to fruc- 
tify when Stier first formed the plan of preaching to 
his Wichlinghausen society on the chief parables and 

* Der Brief an die Ilebrder, 2 vols., 1S42. 

\Die Reden des Herrn JesUy 6 vols., Bamicn, 1S43-7, 1S51, 1855, 
1S65. 



• 



The " Words': 259 

other utterances of the Lord. After having studied 
and preached on them for about two years, the plan 
occurred to him to ehicidate, in a thoroughly scien- 
tific and at the same time practical manner, the whole 
series of the recorded utterances of the Lord. Hav- 
ing matured the plan, he went at once to work upon 
it — July II, 1842 — and by February 4, 1843, the first 
volume was ready. "You will see from this book," 
wrote he to a friend, "that I am not trodden and 
pressed here, so much, without giving off at least a 
little wine." The work thus begun consisted finally 
of six volumes, and formed the acknowledged crown of 
Stier s life. Its praise is in the mouth of all compe- 
tent judges, not only in Germany, but also in England 
and America. It is a singularly rich store-house of 
light for the head and warmth for the heart — of dog- 
matic suggestions and religious inspiration. And it 
is no less popular to-day than when it first appeared. 

As to Stier's personal intercourse at Barmen with 
other theologians of note, it was less extensive than 
it had been at Frankleben. Barmen lay outside of 
the general current. This lack was partially com- 
pensated for by communion with like-minded clergy- 
men of the immediate neighborhood. A little asso- 
ciation of such was accustomed to come together at 
a central point on Tuesdays, and to discuss the vary- 
ing phases of their work and the best methods of im- 
provement. Their sessions were usually opened by 
the exegesis of a passage of Scripture. Stier soon 
became here a central figure, and his absence, which 
the duties of his office not unfrequently occasioned, 
was always regretted. 



26o Rudolf Stier. 

But how as to his family relations now that his 
faithful helpmeet was no more ? Who cared for his 
little flock of children ? It is obvious that he could 
not have accomplished such marvels on the field of 
literature had he not largely been relieved of their 
care — had he not felt that they were in careful 
hands. At the time of the decease of Ernestine, a 
niece of hers — Amalie, the youngest of the three 
previously mentioned daughters of Pastor Hoppe — 
had been for some time an assistant in the house. 
After Ernestine's death she took charge of the 
household, and, notwithstanding her youth, cared for 
it with the greatest fidelity. Subsequently Stier 
applied to her older sister, Akviiie, who, since the 
death of her parents, was at Wittenberg in charge of 
her two young twin sisters. The letter in which he 
invited her throws an interesting light on his pres- 
ent state of mind, and deser\^es a place here. He 
wrote : 

'' Dear Alwixe : And now, after the heavy stroke 
which the Lord has sent upon me and my children, 
by the early calling to rest of Ernestine, I come to 
you with a special message. You have undoubtedly 
deeply felt the loss of the dear aunt who once led 
you to Christ ; and you have felt it not only for 
yourself, but you have also sympathized with the sol- 
itary condition of myself. How diflRcult and painful 
it would now be for me to commit the charge of my 
children and household into the hands of a complete 
stranger ! I could consent to do it only as a last 
necessity. Among my sisters or other near relatives 



Alwine. 261 

there is no prospect of help. And now my thoughts 
turn to you, and all the more naturally as Ernestine 
herself, on a former occasion, directed me to you 
in view of her then threatening death. It is true, 
I could myself hardly hope that you would be willing 
to sacrifice your present quiet life and assume charge 
of so responsible a position ; but yet I could not 
altogether give up the hope, and so I broached the 
thought first to your Aunt Louise. And now she 
writes to me that you are in fact not indisposed to 
come to me, though only on condition that you can 
bring your two little sisters with you. What shall I 
say to this } In the first place, I am touched with 
thankfulness that you are ready to come at all, for I 
know you fully appreciate the responsibilities of the 
place you would have to fill. I see that you are 
ready to make a sacrifice for the Lord's sake and out 
of affection to the children and to me. Can I there- 
fore do otherwise than look upon your readiness as a 
suggestion of the Lord, and welcome your coming 
even under this unanticipated condition } I fully 
honor the voice of your conscience which forbids 
you to place your sisters in other hands, and I cheer- 
fully second it. Please, then, weigh the matter again 
in the presence of the Lord, and if you still recog- 
nize in my invitation His call, then come hither and 
become a motherly guide for Ernestine's children, a 
mistress of the Wichlinghausen parsonage, and a 
cherished friend for myself in my laborious solitude. 
From our former acquaintance and communion in 
the Lord, I am perfectly confident that we, standing 
upon the one ground, will be able to understand each 



262 Rudolf Stier. 

other in every respect. I anticipate from you, more 
than from any one of my acquaintance, that you 
will be able to adapt yourself to such new surround- 
ings as will here confront you, and to preside over 
a large household with prudence and vigor. My 
children, as you know, are all lively and cheerful, and 
therefore require no little managing ; but, by the 
grace of God, they are pretty docile, and have thus 
far enjoyed good training. In general you will find 
here very inviting outward surroundings ; much help- 
ful Christian communion, from which you can select 
friends at your pleasure ; perhaps also much fresh 
Christian experience from the hallowed Christian 
atmosphere here predominant. Be assured, you will 
find in me all readiness to help you to my utmost in 
your weighty duties, and I shall most thankfully 
recompense your kindness. It seems quite strange 
that precisely to-day, as I received Louise's letter in 
regard to you, I have been reading, in Ernestine's let- 
ters to me at Karalene, many particulars of your 
then intimate relations to her," etc. 

The receiver of this letter became convinced by it 
that it brought to her a call from the Lord — all the 
more so as she saw Stier not unwilling to add to his 
own six children also the two little orphans. Trust- 
ing in the Lord, therefore, she answered, promising to 
come to Barmen without delay. When she arrived, 
three months after Ernestine's death, she found Stier 
still in deep depression, and regretting that his duties 
prevented him from indulging his grief in quiet and 
solitude. Precisely this activity, however, was the 



Queer Advice. 263 

best medicine for his heart. To Ernestine's sister 
at Wittenberg he wrote thus soon after Alwine's 
arrival : 

'' The children are all in moderate health. This is 
a grace from the Lord for which I am daily very- 
thankful. The invisible blessing of the mother, who, 
though separated from them, is yet assuredly not 
entirely removed from the sphere in which her life 
was passed, rests manifestly upon them. My own 
communion with her, though outwardly broken off, 
grows ever deeper in my innermost soul ; were this 
not so, I am sure I could not long bear the weight 
of my duties. But she has conquered and is at rest, 
and now awaits the revelation and reunion of the 
last day. She now enjoys the mysterious bliss of 
the saints before the great definitive judgment. 
What can we all, who love her so much, wish for her 
more .^ The Lord's gracious counsel as to her and 
me is glorified also in this — that our children, under 
the care of Alwine, seem really to suffer no essential 
lack." 

But the thought was pressed upon Stier from 
many sides that he should marry again. Rennecke 
expressed himself thus : " Your children need a 
mother ; the fire upon your hearth should not be 
without a priestess. So I think. But follow the law 
of Moses, and take to yourself no widow, but a vir- 
gin ; I cannot bear it to see a preacher marry a 
widow." 

On serious reflection Stier became convinced that 
his friends were right. In December he wrote in full 
on the subject to his sister-in-law Louise, and what 



264 RUDOLK StIKR. 

she replied to liim — partly from her own judgment, 
and partly from confidential conversations which 
she had had with her deceased sister — contributed 
largely to hasten his dawning purpose to full matu- 
rity. But where 'should he find a worthy successor to 
Ernestine ? That he would find in Alwine a com- 
plete religious harmony, and an affectionate sympa- 
thy with all the deeper aspirations of his soul, his 
brotherly association with her since she had been in 
charge of his household had abundantly showed. 
He therefore looked upon it as clear that the Lord 
would approve of his seeking her hand. He disclosed 
his mind to her with these, among other, words : " I 
owe it especially to my little children to give them 
again a mother, and I myself am in need of the care 
of some one who will help me to bear my own bur- 
dens. Also for my pastoral office it is important 
that I do not delay." 

Alwine had hardly expected that Stier would re- 
marry, and hence she was no little surprised at his 
proposal. But the confidence which he placed in 
her led her seriously to entertain the matter. It 
was not long before she gave her assent. She 
felt confident that he could obtain no other one who 
would learn more cheerfully from him, who would 
take greater delight in smoothing his course through 
life, and who would better love both himself and his 
office than herself Also his children, since she had 
assumed charge of them, had rapidly grown in her 
affections. '' Now I obtain new courage to swim 
against the tide ! " was Stier's first response to her 
assent. To her near relatives he at once wrote : '' I 



Second Marriage. 265 

shall love her as well as any one can love a second 
time ; were I not certain of this, I am sure no mere 
outward circumstances would move me to this step." 
Of the serious import of their new relation both were 
fully impressed. As they were making — in rainy 
weather — their first call on Stier's brother pastors in 
the Wupperthal, and the ladies expressed sympathy 
with Alwine for "having come over the mountain" 
in such weather, Stier observed with earnest gravity 
that '' she would yet have to traverse with him many 
other mountains." 

Stier's parents, and all the relatives on both 
sides, cheerfully seconded his purpose. Nitzsch, 
of Bonn, allayed his apprehension — lest his so early 
formed second marriage might give offense — with 
the words : " Peculiar circumstances overbalance, 
here, the force of sentiments which, but for such 
circumstances, would be well-grounded." 

In order that Stier might be accompanied by his 
wife on his approaching recreation journey after 
Easter, the marriage was determined upon a few 
weeks after the betrothment. 

As the first marriage ceremony was performed by 
Father Nitzsch, so was this second one by his son, 
the celebrated Professor of Bonn. It took place, 
February 26, 1840, in the presence of the chief 
families of the society, of his brother pastors of 
Barmen, and of other friends. Of the address of 
Professor Nitzsch on the occasion, the following is a 
meager outline : — 

'' Let us begin in the name of God the Father, the 
Son, and the Holy Ghost. Amen ! Marriage, which 



266 Rudolf Stier. 

is not a mere eivil, human ordinance, but a divine law 
of the human race, needs not to be blessed in order 
to be sacred, but is in itself a blessing from God. 
But persons who desire to enter the marriage state 
need to be inducted into it by the divine Word and 
by faith and by the prayers of the Church, whoever 
they may be. For sinful nature is of itself incapable 
of making marriage what it ought to be. But as the 
blessing of God is not a mere piece of luck, so is our 
consecration of marriage not a mere wish. But we 
believe and pray in confidence in proportion as we 
can believe that God himself has joined together 
those whom we pronounce united. 

" God, the guide of all our ways, brings persons 
together in general without their own will and pur- 
pose ; but it is quite another thing when, by a manifest 
series of inner and outer circumstances, he prepares 
the way for a life-long and permanent union of man 
and wife, wherein each gives himself away in faith, 
and yet at the same time receives himself back more 
perfect than before. 

"As you know, beloved affianced, I stand before 
you not only as a servant of the Church, but also as 
a member of an earthly family wherein we stand to 
each other as brother to brother, and as father to 
daughter (niece) ; allow me to allude to some inci- 
dents of the history of this family, as they are not 
without instruction and interest both for you and for 
these witnesses. 

'' When the head of our family deceased, not long 
since, there were seven of his children in the mar- 
riaoce state. Since then one half of these bonds have 



Marriage Address, 267 

% 
been broken by what men call a premature death. 

The most recent of the bonds thus formed and dis- 
solved, was the one whereby you, dear sir, became 
my brother, and I yours. You passed with the 
woman of your first and divinely blessed choice 
through the trials of sickness and frequently-threat- 
ening death. Your sainted partner lived in com- 
munion with eternity ; and, while at the second 
station of your pilgrimage, she looked about from 
her sick-bed for a second mother for her beloved 
children, and we know upon whom her suggestion 
fell During the calm of an interim your position of 
father and house-father has led you to cast about for 
an assistant and friend, and in this you have followed 
the suggestion of your departed, and that the result 
proved favorable is the work of the Lord. 

" And you, my daughter, (niece,) whom I held 
upon my arms on the day of your baptism, after you 
had grown up under the care of your parents, and 
had lost, through death, the choice of your youthful 
love — you have served as a mother and house-mistress 
to your brothers and sisters and to your widowed fa- 
ther, and afterward as guardian to the orphan chil- 
dren — so that you had made good proof of your God- 
given abilities, before the suggestion of the departed 
pointed you out, and before the petition of this man 
solicited you to come and assume these new duties, 
and be his wedded companion. 

" In view of such antecedents of your marriage we 
feel confident that God has united you, and will bless 
your union. You know, dearly beloved, that the per- 
fect God-pleasing union of persons in marriage is the 



268 Rudolf Stier. 

same as that whereby living stones are built into a 
temple for God. It takes place by that same faith 
whereby, in love, we seek not our own, and, in hope, 
triumph over the pains of mortality. 

** For, why do you plight your fidelity, the one to 
the other ? Because each of you finds in the other the 
spirit of Christ, who is himself everlasting fidelity. 
Hence, although you are already practiced in self- 
denial, still, neglect not to ground this marriage vow 
upon your vow of obedience to God, and cling to 
each other in the humble-mindedness of prayer. 
Thus will pass your wedded life, be it long or short, 
in peace and manifest blessing. Thus with /tU/e of 
worldly goods you will yet have duicJi ; and thus 
only will your united endeavors in training the chil- 
dren be successful ; and thus will you find grace 
with God and man. Though you may here sow in 
tears and pass through tribulations, yet will the 
Lord make even your adversaries to be at peace 
with you ; thus will you turn every stumbling-block 
and temptation into a means of richer peace ; thus 
will you also finally rejoice when your earthly mar- 
riage shall be dissolved — when you retain of it only 
faded recollections— that you have treasured up, dur- 
ing its continuance, a heavenly, imperishable crown, 
and that you still retain, after its earthly dissolution, 
a marriage of soul in Christian love. 

'* And now, O Lord ! remember these persons and 
bless us all — thou who in remembering one remem- 
berest all, and who has promised that that for which 
two persons shall pray in the name of the Son shall 
be given to them — thou who, by the love-wonder 



B^'idal Excitrsion. 26g 

whereby thy Son embraces the bride-Church, hast 
reconciled and harmonized all souls, both here and 
on high, through the love which burns in them all — 
look now graciously upon these persons, and be thou 
of the bond which they now make with each other 
its strength and holy ground ! Amen." 

On the day after this ecclesiastical rite the civil 
ratification took place at the Town Hall. The child- 
ren had learned with the greatest delight that a 
mother was going to be given to them again. From 
the largest to the smallest, the sweet word to which 
their lips had scarcely become unaccustomed, was 
soon again as familiar as before, and all the more so 
as they now enjoyed again real motherly care. 

The pastoral labors of Passion Week, which now 
followed, were very exhausting ; hence, the three 
weeks' vacation journey which Stier now made with 
Alwine was all the more welcome. In this case, as 
in several former ones, the generosity of an unknown 
friend placed the needful funds at his disposal. 

The first few days were spent in the family of 
Nitzsch at Bonn ; the air of the Rhine acted like balm 
upon the shattered nerves and affected throat of the 
wearied pastor. The first Sabbath was passed among 
the Moravians at Neuvv^ied ; the second with the ven- 
erable Von Meyer at Frankfort, who had just laid 
down the burgomastership of the city. On his re- 
turn he was entertained by Von Bethmann-Hollweg 
at his lovely villa at Rheineck. 

The fresh health and vigor gathered from these 
days of rest were now devoted with renewed zeal to 
the duties of his calling. His surviving widow fur- 



270 Rudolf Stier. 

nishes the following interesting particulars as to his 
daily round of life at this period : — 

"Only the first quiet morning hours were devoted 
to the study of the Scriptures. Punctually at five 
o'clock he took his place at his desk and there drank 
his coffee alone. Some hours later I brought to him 
a little breakfast, without interrupting him by a sin- 
gle word. And yet at this morning greeting he usu- 
ally had some fresh thought or remark to communi- 
cate to me in regard to some Scripture text. Satur- 
day mornings and forenoons, as also the first hours of 
Sunday, were exclusively devoted to preparation for 
preaching. While at this w^ork he was very loth to 
be interrupted, and I endeavored as much as possible 
to save him from being visited. On other days he 
gladly received, at any hour, whoever washed to see 
him, save at his catechisation hour, for which he pre- 
pared a little before eleven o'clock. His own chil- 
dren he usually saw only at meal-times. Only on Mon- 
day forenoons, after severe Sunday labors, was he ac- 
customed to come for a brief hour into the nursery 
and amuse himself with the little ones. Though he 
had very little time to devote to his children, or in any 
way to oversee their schooling, yet his conversation 
with them was always so suggestive and animating 
that they were greatly benefited even by the brief 
moments which he could spend wdth them. He really 
instructed them and awakened their reflective powers, 
while only seeming to play with them in order pleas- 
antly to entertain them. His children-training was 
free of all over-indulgence. He emphatically required 
obedience and suppressed all rudeness, but he allowed 



L etter of Alwine. 271 

them as much freedom for joyous self -development 
as the circumstances admitted of; he could readily 
transfer himself into their childish sentiments and 
rejoice in their sports. Thus they were always trust- 
ful and open-hearted toward their father, and greatly 
rejoiced whenever he could be with them. A pleas- 
ure-walk with his family he could take but rarely. 
During week-days he had no time for it ; for whenever 
he was not engaged in official duties he was either 
studying, or visiting the sick. In these visits, especial- 
ly when he went to those who lived at a distance, I 
often accompanied him. Though I frequently lin- 
gered by the way-side while he entered the houses, 
still I had the pleasure of his society during the walk. 
He was very fond of conversing with me on whatever 
subject was at the time interesting him ; and as he lived 
so wholly in the atmosphere of the Scriptures, hence 
his conversation was predominantly on Scripture in- 
terpretation. Even when he was at his meals he 
often had some Scripture passage in mind as to the 
true or false interpretation of which he had been 
reading something, or he gave me his own views of it, 
or applied it to the events of life. I soon had to ac- 
custom myself to his ways, so that while I oversaw the 
children with my eyes, and passed them food with my 
hands, I also listened to him with my ears. And I 
soon learned to do this, as his conversation so greatly 
interested me. The later evening hours, when he had 
no official duties, were the time of his resting ; then 
he no longer dared to study or read, as that superin- 
duced sleeplessness. And yet in this repose he always 
inclined to lively conversation with me, though it had 



27- . Rudolf Stiek. 

to be on such subjects as he was then meditating up- 
on. He disHked to have his thoughts turned from 
their favorite current, and hence I preferred to let him 
direct them as he liked. And in this I was greatly 
advantaged ; he did not direct his conversation above 
my range, knowing very well how far I could go with 
him ; and how rich was the field from which he drew 
treasures ! Besides the Scriptures and the profound 
questions of theology, he was quite familiar with nat- 
ural science, and he was very appreciative of art and 
poetry. Frequently, after one of our conversations, I 
thought how interesting an essay that would be, w^ere 
it at once printed out just as he had said it to me. 
Such w^as the fresh spiritual life w^hich breathed 
through these hours of repose — in w^hich he disliked 
to be alone, as then his mind would fall at once into 
deep activity. His recreation, his resting, was sim- 
ply this, that he gave the spontaneously flowing 
stream of his thoughts full liberty to gush itself out. 
And that this might take place entirely unhindered, 
my society was the greatest help, as I gladly listened 
to him with the deepest interest, and only interrupt- 
ed him by asking further in the same direction." 

Tow^ard the close of the summer of 1841 Stier felt 
again the need of a season of relaxation. He deter- 
mined upon a journey to Saxony. Also he desired 
to revisit his former field of labor at Frankleben. 
The reader will recollect with what anxiety for the 
future he had left this parish. But his apprehensions 
were not realized. The little nucleus of truly con- 
verted souls held their ground well. The temper- 
ance society continued to prosper, its regular meet- 



Visit to Frank leb en. 273 

ings assuming sometimes the form of prayer-meetings. 
The missionary interest was also kept up. , In fact 
the new pastor endeavored to the best of his ability 
to follow strictly in the footsteps of his predeces- 
sor. Stier had greatly rejoiced at the course things 
had taken. But some slight misunderstandings had 
arisen, and he was anxious to visit the place and help 
to dissipate them. 

He set out toward the close of September, and, 
after a three days' visit at Frankleben, wrote to Al- 
wine the most cheering report of what he had seen. 
He had gone from Merseburg on foot, and had 
approached Frankleben with a throbbing heart. His 
old friends had overwhelmed him with love. Some 
who had formerly shown no signs of the new life 
were now warmly Christian. His successor, Schau- 
fuss, knew no bounds in kindness. 

After extending his journey to Berlin he hastened 
back to his responsible labors. The winter brought 
very exacting work. It gradually began to dawn 
more fully upon his mind that the post was too 
laborious for a single pastor. To his wearying visits 
for private baptisms, etc., there seemed no end. His 
wife was often in great anxiety at seeing him start in 
the dusk^ with umbrella and lantern, upon long walks 
over hill and valley. It was a comfort, however, 
that on his more official visits he was attended by 
his faithful sexton.* But his health was undermined 

* Rev. F. Boswinkel, present pastor of Wichlinghaiisen, wrote the 
following, under date of August 17, 1873 : 

" I have now in the society an eighty-six-year-old sexton who 
has served under no less than six successive pastors ; but when- 
ever he conies to mention our dear Dr. Stier, then he is often very 



2/4 Rudolf Stier. 

more and more every winter. An abdominal trouble 
now set in that embarrassed him for years. A week 
of rest at Bonn after Easter, 1842, brought him little 
relief His severe duties were such as, in view of 
his feeble health, to induce both himself and his 
friends to think seriously about a lighter position — 
as we shall see in the next chapter. 

deeply aftected. Do you ask in what particular respect ? I answer : 
At Stier's rich fatherly-heartedness." 





CHAPTER XVI. 

Severe Labors and Trials. 

[May, 184,3, to July, 1846.] 

S early as in 1842 influential friends of Stier 
had, without his suggestion, looked about for 
a more suitable and less exhausting position 
for him. Schmieder wrote: '^If I could only see 
some more training-schools for preachers founded, 
and you at the head of one of them ! " Snethlage 
shared the same wish. All saw that in view of 
Stier's profound erudition and practical skill, and of 
his fervent intellectual activity, few would be more 
capable than he of inspiring and electrifying young 
preachers. Nitzsch had said in express words: 
"For breathing new life into pastoral training by 
means of a profound, comprehensive, theological, 
philological, and practical knowledge of the Scrip- 
tures, I know of no more capable man than Stier, 
either in Prussia or in all Germany." 

Snethlage — now a chief officer of the national 
church at Berlin — suggested to him a professorship 
at Konigsberg in connection with the founding of 
a theological seminary. The professorship, however, 
lay rather beyond than within the scope of Stier's 
wishes. He felt unwilling to cramp himself by the 

many forms which such a position would require him 

19 



2/6 Rudolf Stier. 

to observe. He also shrank from the thought of 
discoursing on spiritual things through the dead 
medium of Latin. Still he did not as yet positively 
decline to consider the proposal. All the less so as 
a six weeks' health-journey was about to take him 
through Konigsberg on his way to Lithuania. 

He started from Barmen in June, greeted his 
friends in Frankleben, Halle, and Berlin, and, after 
visiting his father for the last time in Gumbinnen, 
returned through Konigsberg, examined the prospect- 
ive field of labor there, and then took a brief rest 
at the baths of Zoppot, near Danzig. 

The contemplated call to Konigsberg resulted in 
nothing, owing to the slow movement of the Govern- 
ment in establishing the new seminary, as also to 
Stier's unwillingness to come into relations where 
his spontaneity w^ould be hampered by academic tra- 
ditions. On calm reflection, Stier fully agreed with 
the judgment of an esteemed friend : '' For a position 
which requires the cautious observance of a hundred 
side-issues, your unconditionally outspoken spirit is 
not constituted." 

Meantime these negotiations had not remained a 
secret at Wichlinghausen, and they acted unfavor- 
ably. In view of the prospective calling of another 
pastor, the old party spirit sprang afresh into life, 
thus causing Stier no little embarrassment. 

On his return severe domestic and personal afflic- 
tions awaited him. After seeing his circle of chil- 
dren increased to eight, he now, for the first, saw 
it invaded by death. The youngest child of Ernes- 
tine fell sick in its seventh year, and died, February 



] 



Affliction. 277 

7, 1844. The next day Stier himself was assailed 
by a violent fever. Apprehending a fatal issue, he 
got up in the night, put some papers in order, and 
then awoke his wife with the words : " I have a ner- 
vous fever and shall probably die of it/' She at once 
set things in order and sent for a physician. After 
Stier had again lain down he observed : ** I have 
always been cheerful in view of death, but now it 
seems hard to me to die suddenly and of this fever. 
I would that I could yet remain with you a while. 
Can you not pray the Lord that he will this time let 
me recover.'^" She answered: ''Certainly; I have 
and do ; and I have also the full assurance that the 
Lord hears me." On the arrival of the physician, 
Stier's apprehensions were considerably quieted. 

On the morning following, the body of little Louise 
was buried beside her mother, attended only by the 
brothers and sisters. 

Stier suffered now severe days and worse nights. 
He could find no sleep and was tormented by waking 
dreams. Fortunately the disease turned for the 
better earlier than hoped for ; but imprudent visits 
occasioned a dangerous relapse. Only under the 
unswerving attention and care of Alwine did he 
slowly recover. The fever yielded after three weeks, 
but sleep could only be induced by morphine. After 
March 17, he could be up and indulge in short 
walks. 

The next work which he engaged in was the con- 
tinuation of his ''Words of the Lord Jesus." He 
had purposed to dismiss all literary work for the 
summer; but his physician dissuaded him from this, 



278 Rudolf Stier. 

saying that such work, moderately indulged in, would 
be healthier than entire rest. But his pastoral labors 
were too heavy for him. Shortly after Easter he was 
compelled to a two weeks' sojourn on the Rhine. 
The physician had recommended a longer stay, but 
Stier could not persuade himself to leave his society 
so long. He returned ; but for this over-hasty re- 
sumption of work he suffered all the rest of his life. 
A shock was made upon his nervous system from 
which he never recovered. He became subject to 
interruptions of consciousness. Any labor after 
seven o'clock in the evening cost him great sufferings. 
With the greatest difficulty could he obtain any sleep, 
and then only in a half-erect posture. 

But, exhausting as was his condition upon his 
body, it was very fructifying for his spirit. A friend 
wrote to him : ** A sickness such as you have passed 
through bids your inquiring spirit, for the time being, 
to halt ; but it certainly also opens deeper views 
into the mystery of the body and the soul, of death 
and of life, of creatural nothingness, and of the 
divine grace which gives life to the dead. And the 
knowledge which springs from experience is clothed 
in flesh and blood, in comparison with which the 
theories of the human understanding are but as 
pallid ghosts." Stier expressed similar thoughts in 
the first sermon he preached after his recovery. He 
also gave expression to his new experiences in es- 
thetic form. The poems thus resulting were the 
occasion of the publication of a new volume, 
''Christian and Biblical Poems," (Barmen, 1845.)* 

* Ccdiihtc, chr'istlichc und bihUsclw. 



More Poe7ns. 279 

The reception of the volume was favorable. Aside 
from a little complaining of its Wupperthal mys- 
ticism, the better journals heartily welcomed it. 

On his comparative recovery, he began a series of 
sermons on the Epistle of St. James. From this un- 
dertaking sprang his excellent practical commentary 
on ^' James," * a beautiful complement to his more theo- 
retical work on " Hebrews." In opposition to Lu- 
ther's stumbling at this Epistle, Stier clearly showed 
that precisely this book was a very essential comple- 
ment to the rest of the New Testament. ** St. 
James,'' says he, "has the Gospel (as a grace of rec- 
onciliation) not before him, but behind him ; he pro- 
claims the grace of reconciliation as a grace of sancti- 
fication — taking the great forward step, so much neg- 
lected by believers, from justification to sanctifica- 
tion." 

The sermons on " James " were interrupted by the 
centenary celebration of the Wichlinghausen church. 
It was observed in great style. School-house, par- 
sonage, and church were festooned with flowers and 
inscriptions. Over the church entrance stood : 
''Jesus Christ yesterday, 1744, and to-day, 1844, and 
forever." The church was crowded to overflowing. 
Brother clergymen helped Stier hold the service in the 
stateliest manner. The hymns were accompanied 
by a chorus of trumpets. The sermon of Stier was 
one of his happiest efforts. But he paid dearly for 
his exertions. The clang of the brazen trumpets in 
the confined space occasioned him intense pains in 
the head ; instead of sharing in the banquet of the 

* Der Brief Jacoln, etc., Barmen, 1845. 



28o Rudolf Stier. 

evening, he had to hasten to the quiet of the par- 
sonage. 

Meantime Stier's Hterary labors continued. The 
sermons he now preached prepared him for rapidly- 
progressing with the " Words of the Lord Jesus." 
An enlarged edition of his " Keryktics " was called 
for and prepared. At the solicitation of a Bielefeld 
publisher he engaged with Dr. Theile of Leipzig in 
the painstaking preparation of a " Polyglot Bible." 
He also became engaged in a lively controversy as to 
whether it was wise for Bible societies to continue 
to print, as the Word of God, a large number of noto- 
rious mistranslations, for the simple reason that they 
stood thus in Luther's version. 

In the summer of 1845 he made use of the baths 
of Kreuznach for some weeks, but received only tem- 
porary help. A year later he made a longer and 
very invigorating journey to Switzerland. At Heidel- 
berg, he met, besides Ullmann and Umbreit, his old 
friend Rothe. From here he wrote to Alwine : '' I 
sent my card to Dr. Rothe whereupon he immediately 
came himself and took me to his house ; and he has 
for two days devoted to me nearly all his unoccupied 
hours. I had great joy at his cordial, honest geniality. 
Despite our theological antagonisms, we were at 
once the intimate friends of yore. I derived great 
profit from being with him.'' 

From Basle he wrote : ** Monday morning I pur- 
posed to visit the dear old Mission House, and quietly 
to enjoy my own feelings in the spot where I had 
lived and suffered with Ernestine ; but that is not 
possible here at such a season. Even the whole gar- 



How Far Bound? 281 

den was already full of guests for an anniversary ; in 
my former parlor were assembled together some 
East Indian missonaries with a converted Brahmin. 
On Tuesday a large society gathered around me in 
the garden, and I had to answer a thousand questions 
about the '' Words of the Lord Jesus," the " Polyglot 
Bible," ''Bible Revision," etc. They have here all 
kept track of my activity and writings, much more 
fully than I had supposed ; to tell you how many 
thanks I have received from persons from all coun- 
tries for my *' Words of the Lord Jesus" would al- 
most astonish you, should I write it." 

After a month's absence, he returned to his work 
with greatly invigorated health. The experiment 
had proved that all that he needed for complete re- 
covery was simply sufficient rest. In his literary 
labor he was scarcely conscious that he was not a 
hearty man. Also his forenoon sermon cost him 
little pain, but the second one wearied him. The 
occasional addresses at funerals, etc., taxed him the 
most. 

Nor was it enough that he faithfully endeavored to 
meet all his duties ; these duties were rendered still 
heavier by the unreasonable demands of many of his 
members. Under the stimulation of this unreasona- 
bleness, he determined to see if something could not 
be done to check it. He wrote and published an 
essay on the question, " Must a pastor be at the serv- 
ice of each and every parishioner at all hours } " 
From this essay we learn what unreasonable things 
had been expected of him in this respect. While 
himself more than half sick, he had been called from 



282 Rudolf Stier. 

his bed several nights in succession, and in one night 
even twice, to speak with a sick person, or to bring to 
him the eucharist. Frequently, on Saturday nights, 
before his laborious Sabbath work, he had been called 
to make distant visits, and that, too, where there was 
no pressing need. Even on Sunday morning, before 
the service, he had had to visit the sick ; once, even, he 
was called to a distance to pray over one who was al- 
ready unconscious. At another time the members had 
forgotten Stier s week-day sermon, and therefore in- 
sisted that he should omit it to attend to the burying 
of a child. Often he was requested to omit his chil- 
dren-instruction because of a baptism or marriage at 
the same hour. " That I have ever yielded to such 
unreasonable demands," wrote he, ^'I now reckon to 
myself as a sin." The conclusion of the essay — a 
conclusion which was ratified by the provincial 
synod — was, that the pastor was bound to render 
official service, such as baptism, marriage, etc., to 
private members, only at such times as should in 
each case be agreed upon between himself and the 
parties. 

It was in fact only by the strictest punctuality and 
economy of his time that Stier was enabled to over- 
come so many difficulties ; and not only faithfully to 
serve his own parishes, but also to endow the Church 
universal with such rich fruits of biblical learning. 
Upon his study table there habitually lay a note-book 
upon one page of which was noted down what was 
each day to be done, and upon another page what he 
had accomplished. Thus he could, at any time, tell 
just how each day had been spent. By the side of 



Abundmit in Labors. 283 

the note-book lay a list of the sick, and, at each 
name, when he had visited it. On the same table lay 
the previously mentioned quarto volumes, wherein 
was recorded a large portion of his exegetical fruits. 
These volumes he regarded as among his greatest 
treasures. To his wife he had said, that in case his 
house should ever burn, these should be the first 
things to be saved. 

The above-mentioned essay shows, evidently, that 
many members of the Wichlinghausen society did 
not comprehend how severe were the duties required 
of their pastor. That by a premature resumption of 
labor after his sickness he had ruined his health for 
life, was but imperfectly appreciated. The animation 
with which he uniformly preached made upon the 
careless observer the impression that he was equal 
to any amount of labor. Their eyes were opened 
soon after his departure, for they were at once neces- 
sitated to give their new pastor an assistant. 




% "T 

CHAPTER XVII. 

Resignation of Office — Last Months in 
Barmen. 

[August, 1846, to March, 1847.] 

y^^^TIER'S long-cherishcd hope that by great care 
Jfe^ he might ultimately regain a moderate degree 
of health gradually faded away. His wife saw 
with painful anxiety how that from month to month 
he grew less able to stand up under his burdens. 
His secret hope was that the Lord might offer 
him a lighter post. But he was averse to taking 
the initiative himself. While thus patiently wait- 
ing and courageously bearing his yoke, an unfortu- 
nate and painful collision intervened to release him 
from it — a collision that would perhaps ultimately 
have come in some other form — namely, a collision 
between the exactions of his society, and his duties 
to his health, to his family, and to the whole Chris- 
tian Church. 

Hitherto he had fondly believed that, as a whole, 
he could reckon on the affection of his society. De- 
spite many bitter experiences he persisted in this 
conviction. But in this he was partially mistaken. 
After the publication of the before-mentioned essay, 
a member of his society assailed him in the public 
prints. Angry letters were thrown into his yard. 
A series of sermons which he had preached on the 



A Stor7n Preparing, 285 

Old Testament saints, irritated the self-righteousness 
of not a few. They could not bear to hear the moral 
character of the patriarchs criticised, and to have the 
same rigid rule applied also to their own lives. The 
sentiment of not a few seemed to be that, if he held 
up the mirror to them, he should so do it that their 
own image would please them. These were but pre- 
monitory manifestations of a more general disaffec- 
tion which was to break out just after his return from 
Switzerland, when he had resumed his duties with 
such re-invigorated energy. 

The pretext for the outbreak was of a merely inci- 
dental character. It had been the usage in the soci- 
ety to substitute public catechisation, during the 
summer months, for the afternoon sermon. Stier 
had long regretted this course ; he thought the soci- 
ety, and especially a large number of females who 
could not attend the morning service, would derive 
much more profit from his Scripture elucidations. 
Moreover, the children, whom he carefully instructed 
during the week, were abundantly cared for. Be- 
sides, the children, especially the larger ones, were 
so fully occupied during the week, that they greatly 
desired to rest on the Sabbath ; and the parents, for 
the most part, indulged them in their preference. In 
the summer of 1846 the Sabbath catechisations were 
very thinly attended. The article of ''vocation" did 
not unconditionally require Stier to keep up the cat- 
echisation. It simply said, " In the summer months 
there is usually catechisation, otlierwise preaching." 
Accordingly, he announced from the pulpit that if 
the members desired him to continue the usual cate- 



286 Run(jLF Stiek. 

chisation, in the afternoon, he would be glad if they 
would require their children to attend ; but if the 
attendance should not increase, he would take for 
granted that they would gladly see the exegetical 
sermons take their place, as in the winter months. 
After the service he spoke personally with some 
members of the Presbyterium, and they were fully 
agreed. After a few Sabbaths of still sparser children- 
attendance, he started upon his Switzerland journey, 
with the intention of introducing preaching in the 
afternoon on his return, as indeed would be done by 
his substitute during his absence. 

On his return he did so. At the first chief service 
he announced that thenceforth he would give a ser- 
mon in the afternoon instead of catechisation, as he 
had previously proposed, and as seemed to be the 
general wish. And he preached thus twice without 
any objection having been made from any quarter. 
On the next Sabbath he proposed to do likewise. 
But at this point, when he had come so far in the 
exegesis of the Old Testament that his next sub- 
ject would be the rebellion of Korah, a paper signed 
by quite a number of his parishioners was sent to 
him passionately reproaching him for the change 
in the service. Thereupon he invited the "repre- 
sentatives" of the society to his house for friendly 
consultation. 

On their assembling, Stier declared before opening 
the sitting that if the gentlemen had come with their 
minds made up to sit in judgment upon him, he would 
leave the room, and thus their proceedings would be 
without validity. I^ut if they were disposed to a 



The Storm Breaking. 287 

friendly interview, he was quite ready to hear all that 
they had to urge against him. He inquired, why 
neither at the first nor at the second announcement 
of the change no objection had been made. To this 
he received no answer. He explained that he had 
honestly understood the society as approving his 
proposal. On his observing that it seemed hardly 
worth while to give the afternoon hour to the very few 
children who came, various reproaches were made. 
They said it was his own fault that they did not 
come ; he did not praise the children enough. It 
was further said he did not preach what profited the 
society, but only what suited his own fancy ; he 
neglected the society ; he did not visit the sick, etc. 
In short, he was angrily and passionately assailed. 
It is true, only a few did the speaking, but the others 
did not take his part. Stier met these passionate 
accusations with the greatest gentleness and equa- 
nimity. But when his replies seemed to serve no 
purpose, he closed the sitting, asking them all calmly 
to reflect on the matter, and saying that he desired 
also to do so himself 

When he came into the presence of his wife after 
the session, his countenance seemed to her almost 
transfigured. To her question of astonishment, he 
replied, '' I have suffered reproach for my Lord." 
When she then observed that it seemed cruel indeed 
that all his self-sacrificing should only be met by 
such ingratitude, he replied, " Let us quietly leave all 
that to the Lord. If he permits that they tread me 
under their feet, then I must suffer it. Bujt my office 
they shall not degraded 



288 Rudolf Stier. 

All this occurred on Friday. The next Sabbath, 
instead of preaching on the rebellion of Korah, he 
preached on the almond-rod of Aaron. His spirits 
were in happy flow. After service he remarked 
to his wife, " My almond-rod they shall not make 
wither." 

Some days subsequently Stier sent to the " repre- 
sentatives" a carefully prepared conciliatory paper, 
expressive of his deliberate judgment on the matter 
in question. Its chief points were : He could not, 
after the most prayerful reflection, persuade himself 
that the change made was not for the better. It 
seemed, however, that this change was really only a 
pretext for an outbreak that would have occurred 
anyhow. But if the ''representatives" were really 
desirous of peace, he was ready to make ample con- 
cessions on his part, if they would do likewise on 
theirs. If desired, he would for the future hold .the 
afternoon catechisation five summer months each 
year. For this year, however, his present arrange- 
ment would have to continue: i. Because the time 
for the regular resuming of the sermon was already 
near at hand ; 2. Because it would work unfavor- 
ably to make such frequent changes in the service ; 
and 3. Because for him now to change would be a 
humiliation of the pastoral office to which he was un- 
willing to be an accomplice. 

With what answer was this paper met ? In the 
next sitting of the Presbyterium, it was officially 
decreed that he should hold a/so for this year at least 
tzvo more catechisations. This brought on the crisis. 
It was n(nv clear to Stier that this resolution was 



A Surprise. 289 

taken not for the children's sake, but simply in order 
to humiliate him. On withdrawing from the sitting 
he observed to his wife : " I am now determined to 
lay down my office. Should I yield to their will, I 
would disgrace my office. I shall go to Wittenberg, 
and work further on the ' Words of the Lord Jesus,' 
and on other works which I have already on hand ; I 
can thus regain my health. The Lord will not let 
us suffer want. I can earn with my pen as much as 
my office here brings, and perhaps more. And when 
I recover my health, a position will not be lacking 
for me. And yet as to this step, I shall be greatly 
misunderstood." 

And in fact this step was for a time greatly mis- 
understood. But what other course was possible for 
him } Did he not follow the plain dictates of duty 
under the circumstances } Would not his yielding 
have been a sinful encouragement to tyranny in 
the Presbyterium, and a sinful self-abasement on his 
own part 1 

Concluding, therefore, that the Lord would appro- 
bate his resignation, he felt at liberty to look about 
for a more suitable field elsewhere. His thoughts 
naturally turned to Prussian Saxony. Writing to his 
friends Schmieder, now at Wittenberg, and Goschel, 
of Magdeburg, he presented his situation in full, and 
received at once an encouraging, though as yet 
indefinite, answer. 

Thereupon, after three weeks' mature deliberation, 
he laid before the Presbyterium, September 3, his 
resignation, to take effect a few weeks before Easter 
of next year. The news of this step fell upon the 



290 Rudolf Stier. 

main body of the society like a thunder-clap. ** Per- 
haps/' wrote Stier to Goschel, *' the shock of this step 
is not the least promising of the fruit germs which I 
shall leave behind me here." At any rate the imme- 
diate effect of his resolution was to awaken many to 
their first real consciousness of how much they were 
going to lose in him, and to turn not a few who had 
hitherto been opposers into ardent friends. Several 
of the more prominent members had been absent 
at the baths when the trouble occurred ; these 
were greatly shocked at the state of things on 
their return. Stier was asked to withdraw his 
resignation. He replied, however, that in any 
case the state of his health forbade him to remain 
longer. 

While Stier now faithfully continued his pastoral 
labors, and while public opinion was gradually com- 
ing to see that the resignation of Stier was not the 
work of passionate over-haste, he received, from an 
unexpected quarter, a complimentary testimonial of 
esteem which was all the more welcome just at this 
depressing juncture. It came in the form of Doctor- 
ate of Theology from the University of Bonn. A year 
previously, a journal of high standing had said that 
Stier richly deserved this title — that " he ought to 
be de jure what he was already dc fcuto!' The motion 
to confer the degree was not made by Dr. Nitzsch, as 
Tholuck erroneously says in " Herzog," but by Sack 
and Klinn; ; but the whole facultv were unanimous. 
The diploma designated Stier as " illustrious for writ- 
ings on the Christian instruction of the young, on 
homiletics and hymnology, for labors in emending 



A German ''D.D!' 291 

the translation of the Bible, for biblical commen- 
taries and sermons, and for sacred poems, as also for 
having greatly promoted the spiritual life of the 
Church." 

In acknowledging and accepting the honor, Stier 
thanked the faculty for conferring it just at this time, 
when so many persisted in misunderstanding his late 
action. He accepted it as a recognition, on their part, 
of the validity of his strictly biblical theology. But 
he did not over-esteem the title ; he was painfully 
aware that it was now worn by many who taught any 
thing else than truly Christian theology. He, how- 
ever, accepted it in its ancient and earnest sense of a 
teacher of the Holy Scriptures, and as a gift from the 
evangelical Church and from its Lord, and he hoped 
for grace that he might be able to do honor to the 
title. 

Amid all the injustice Stier had received, he had 
not for a moment allowed his love for the Wichling- 
hausen society to cool in the least. " My dear heart- 
ily-cherished Wichlinghausen," was the manner in 
which he wrote to Goschel, even in his bitterest ex- 
periences. This love found even livelier expression 
in his present sermons than in his previous ones. 
And it conquered. Those who had assailed him 
with reproaches came, one by one, and asked his 
pardon. Others asked his forgiveness that they 
had remained silent when he was accused. The 
proposition was made that he resume the office in 
case he be selected without a dissenting vote, as was 
believed could be done. But his health forbade his 

consenting. 

20 



292 Rudolf Stier. 

During the winter he suffered from nervousness 
and from a cough. But the hope of speedy rest gave 
him strength for his duties. These duties were now 
a great joy, for now all manner of opposition had 
ceased. After confirming the class of the year, he 
bade the society farewell on the second Sunday before 
Easter. 

Toward the last, he was the recipient of many 
favors. Gifts of every kind poured in upon him. 
The care of packing and transporting his goods, and 
of conveying his family, was entirely taken out of 
his hands. As the journey was started upon, both 
sides of the road were thickly lined with the people 
to whom he had for nine years faithfully preached. 
The chief members of the parish escorted him to a 
point some miles on the way, where a festive break- 
fast awaited them in a beautifully decorated hall. 
After a touching address of adieu from the spokes- 
man of the society, and Stier's no less affecting re- 
sponse to it, the last words were exchanged, and the 
journey to Wittenberg resumed. As the family car- 
riage started, a letter was slipped into the hands of 
one of the children with the injunction not to give it 
to his father until they were well on their way. When 
Stier opened it, he found it to contain the warmest 
wishes of one of his parishioners, and a hundred 
thaler note. 

Thus, notwithstanding the many unpleasant- 
nesses and misunderstandings, Stier at last parted 
with his parish in peace and love. And his mem- 
ory is still cherished there with grateful affection. 
Thou^rh never revisitinir l^armen, he was vet him- 



General Result, 293 

self often visited, in after years, by friends from Wich- 
linghausen. 

On the whole, his pastorate in this church 
had proved highly fructifying for himself, and whole- 
somely reformatory for the active, but somewhat 
sentimentally inclined, religious life of the whole 
Wupperthal. 




CHAPTER XVIII. 
Three Years of Retirement at Wittenberg. 

[April, 1847, to May, 1850.] 

'JT T was almost heroic in Stier, with his family of 
(^ eight children, two or three of them requiring 
gymnasium schooling, to venture to give up his 
salary and to rely for his support entirely on his pen. 
But he was thoroughly convinced that his action lay 
in the line of duty. He was already pretty sure of 
enough means from his books and from present en- 
gagements, to suffice him for a year. By that time 
literary work. But before the lapse of this year, 
he hoped to be able to enter upon a new pastorate, or, 
in case this should fail, to obtain other remunerating 
the revolutionary storm of 1848 broke out. This 
shut off all present hope of an office ; it even almost 
blighted his literary prospects, for few publishers 
were willing to venture any thing at such a period. 
Thus his single year of recreation resulted in three 
years. But these years had salutary effects on body 
and soul, and prepared him for fresh years of fruitful 
work. 

His life was now one of the quietest retiracy. 
The first year was passed in a village near Witten- 
berg ; the rest of the time in the town itself. The 
forenoons were exclusively devoted to Scripture 



Anti-Bigotry. 295 

study, the afternoons mainly to walks with his family, 
or to association with the families of Schmieder and 
Seelfisch. Thus he found here a Zoar until the wild 
political storms should be overpassed. 

But he was not a disinterested spectator of those 
stormy events. He followed them with painful anxi- 
ety, preserving the just mean between the reaction- 
ism of the rulers and the revolutionism of the suffer- 
ing masses. 

Nor was he less deeply interested in the ecclesias- 
tical contests that had begun to trouble the Prussian 
Church even before the political revolution. While 
earnestly opposing all excessive reliance on reason 
in matters of religion, he yet had no manner of 
sympathy with those who found the salvation of the 
Church in a closer holding to ecclesiastical creeds. 
He heartily agreed with Nitzsch and others in their 
attempt, at the General Synod of 1846, to find a 
way which, while not sacrificing one iota of the 
Gospel, would yet prove conciliatory toward honest 
doubters. 

In many respects, his Wittenberg resting years 
marked a turning point in his churchly feelings. 
Liberal as he was before, he now became less con- 
fessionalistic still. While many with whom he had 
thus far co-operated endeavored thenceforth to crys- 
tallize, not to say fossilize, the forms of the eccle- 
siastical life, Stier inclined rather to emancipate 
both the Church and the individual conscience from 
every imperative bond save the holy Word of God 
as interpreted by an intelligent, evangelical con- 
sciousness. 



296 Rudolf Stier. 

From thenceforth he broke with confessionaHstic 
Neo-Lutheranism. And his writings bear the stamp 
of the new current of his thoughts. Not that they 
stand in any antithesis to his former writings ; they 
simply relate more than his previous ones to the in- 
ner differences inside of the evangehcal Church. Of 
the new works here to be mentioned are a polemical 
pamphlet, and commentaries on Ephesians, on a part 
of Proverbs, on the latter part of Isaiah, and on all 
of St. Jude. 

The pamphlet* was a protest against confession- 
alism. Its motto was a statement of Gaussen, that 
" the best home for the soul is in that Church where 
there is the least talk of the Church, and the most of 
Christ." He insisted, in the work, that it is an out- 
rage against the Word of God to hold that the ulti- 
mate understanding of the Scriptures has been fully 
and definitively fixed by any human creed or creeds, 
whether ancient or modern. He held that it would 
be preferable to tolerate a few honest Rationalists 
or Pantheists in the Church, rather than to chill it 
down into the formal orthodoxy of the seventeenth 
century. In the Church Diet held at Wittenberg 
in 1848, he earnestly labored for the ''Union" as 
against narrow Lutheranism. 

The commentary on Ephesians, entitled, ''The 
Church in Christ Jesus," (two volumes, Berlin, 1848,) f 
treated thoroughly of the Christian Church in its 
ground, history, growth, goal, and in its development 
in the life of the individual. It is a work of great 

* Entitled, Aphorismcn, etc., Magdeburg, 1847. 
\ Die Gcmcinde in Christo Jesu, etc. 



"Restr 297 

labor and worth. This was followed by three exe- 
getical works on the last chapters of Proverbs, 
namely, "The Sage a King,"* "The Wisdom of 
Solomon,"! and "The Political Wisdom of Agur 
and Lemuel." J All three were of a popular, practi- 
cal character, and had some direct bearing upon the 
events of the day. 

These smaller works were followed by a more 
serious one — a learned commentary on the last 
seventeen chapters of Isaiah (Barmen,, 1850.) § It 
resulted from a resumption of the studies so enthu- 
siastically begun in his Basle period. Thereupon 
followed a commentary on St. Jude.|| 

All of these works were welcomed by the liberal 
orthodox press throughout the Fatherland. They 
are of permanent, though unequal, worth. They give 
ample evidence of what Stier did with his time dur- 
ing his three years of " rest " at Wittenberg. 

During this period Stier received a letter from 
Henry Alford, accompanying the first volume of his 
notes on the Greek Testament " I feel," wrote he, 
" the gift to be due to you in return for the very 
valuable exegetical assistance which I have received 
from your Reden des Herrn yesu!' 

In November, 1848, he received his last letter 
from the aged Von Meyer. It was written with 
trembling hand just after the revolutionary storm 

* Der Weise Ein Konig, etc. Barmen, 1849. 
\ Die Weisheit Salomonis^ etc. Barmen, 1849. 
X Die Politik der Weisheit, etc. Barmen, 1850. 
§ yesaias^ nicht Pseicdojesaias, etc. 
II De7' Brief Jitda\ etc. Berlin, 1850. 



298 Rudolf Stiek. 

had passed over his beloved Frankfort. '' Lord ! t/^^ 
kingdoni come," were its closing words. Two months 
later he slept over into the Spirit-land. 

Very interesting was a correspondence of Stier at 
this time with a truly Christian Russian nobleman 
and his wife. The wife was Lutheran, but was in- 
clined to go over to the Greeco-Russian Church of 
her husband. Before she did so, however, her father 
desired her to correspond on the subject with some 
evangelical theologian. The choice fell upon Stier. 
The correspondence was quite long. In his conclud- 
ing letter to the father, Stier said : '' The step which 
your daughter is almost persuaded to make 7nay be 
wro7ig, especially if in doing it she denies any known 
evangelical truth, or accepts any other form of truth 
without the fullest conviction. I am convinced, for 
my part, that the going over of a Protestant to the 
Romish or Grecian Church is in every case an cnv7\ 
Nevertheless many errors, subjectively considered, 
are not wrong." 

The Church diets at Wittenberg, in 1848 and 
1849, pleasantly interrupted Stier's seclusion, and 
brought him into contact with many chiefs of the 
German Church. In the diets themselves he did 
not take an active part. Secluded as he lived in 
general, he yet occasionally preached, especially for 
his brother-in-law Seelfisch, and on various mission- 
ary occasions. 

Once he appeared in the local press. The case 
was this : The election of a new pastor was about to 
take place. An anonymous writer improved the 
occasion to assail the present clergy of the city, and 



The Tenth Child, 299 

to express the hope that a man of hberal sentiments 
might this time be selected. Stier, fearing that the 
article might have some bad influence, felt it his 
duty to reply to it. He did so, and anonymously 
also. Thereupon a long and wrathful reply ap- 
peared, evidently from the pen of a Rationalistic the- 
ologian, and assailing Stier with all sorts of personal 
abuse. So that here also Stier did not escape bear- 
ing reproach for Christ's sake. 

Also from external and domestic circumstances 
Stier was subject to no little embarrassment. It 
was only after three trials and three moves that 
he found a passable dwelling-house. To his eight 
children another was added in Wittenberg. At the 
age of nine months it was suddenly taken away by 
death. Stier himself suffered from a local trouble, 
which greatly hindered his work, and required pain- 
ful surgical operations in Halle and Berlin — without 
much relief. And now, after his long waiting, 
just when he was suffering the most, a post was 
offered to him. 

This position was not such a one as Stier would 
have preferred. But it suited him better than any 
other that had presented itself. It was a complex 
office including the duties of a deacon at Schkeuditz, 
of a pastor at the neighboring village of Cursdorf, 
and of a superintendent (ephor) — something like a 
bishop — over eight parishes constituting the diocese 
(ephoralty) of Schkeuditz. It brought only an in- 
come of eight hundred thalers, and required two 
sermons a Sabbath, besides many other duties. 
Stiers wife could not restrain her tears on sccinc: 



300 Rudolf Stier. 

him conclude to accept an office so different from 
what he had hoped for, and requiring of him such 
severe labors. But Stier was weary of his retirement, 
and entered upon it with his usual enthusiasm. 

Schkeuditz is a town between Halle and Leip- 
zig, near the Saxon border. Its Protestant society, 
including four neighboring villages, numbered at 
this time over four thousand souls. When Stier 
was called thither, it was in a notoriously demor- 
alized state. Aside from being largely poisoned by 
Rationalism, it had recently been a chief center for 
smuggling, and a hot-bed of revolutionary dema- 
gogism. 

Nor w^as Stier's induction into office in such a place 
effected without opposition. The sermon which he 
preached there before his election was too biblical, 
too earnestly Christian, to please the electoral repre- 
sentatives of the society. The paper sent by them 
to the nominating Consistory of Magdeburg, and 
wherein they accepted him as deacon, expressed 
great apprehension lest his earnest teaching should 
prove a disturbance to their preferred ways of life 
and thinking. 

But before the w^ording of this document came to 
Stier's knowledge, one of its chief signers wrote to 
him, privately, his hearty thanks for the excellent 
teachings of the sermon in question. He also ex- 
cused himself for the formality of having himself 
signed the protesting acceptance, and encouraged 
him to come to Schkeuditz with undimmed hopes, 
and to look upon the inhabitants " not as hardened, 
but as merely blinded." Before actually entering 



Conciliatory, 301 

upon duty, he addressed a conciliatory letter to the 
burgomaster, removing some misunderstandings, 
protesting that it was the farthest in the world from 
his purpose to foster a long-faced, sour godliness, 
and in general referring his Honor, for the kind of 
doctrine he would preach, to his ample expression 
of it in his well-known public writings. 



\^<^^ 






/f 



CHAPTER XIX. 

Nine Years as Superintendent at Schkeuditz. 

[May, 1850, to August, 18S9.] 

v(^TIER removed to Schkeuditz early in May 
V^ 1850. His very cordial welcome by Burgo- 
master Schrotcr was perhaps partly owing to 
the conciliatory letter he had written to him. This 
officer was, however, in general, a man of very solid 
parts, and he was an assiduous attendant at church 
during Stier's whole stay. 

The induction into office soon followed ; first, at 
eight o'clock as pastor in Cursdorf, then at ten as 
deacon in Schkeuditz. The duties of superintendent 
he performed preliminarily as vicar. 

Soon after his coming, a severe time occurred for 
himself and the society. The cholera raged terribly, 
carrying off one seventh of the inhabitants. The 
senior pastor having fallen a victim, the duty of two 
offices fell upon Stier for awhile. 

In November he was finally inducted by General 
Superintendent Muller into the superintendentship 
of Schkeuditz. In April, 1850, he was promoted, and 
made chief pastor at Schkeuditz and released from 
the charge of Cursdorf. In this village he had 
preached about a year. Any great change could 
hardly be looked for under the circumstances. A 



Fruits, 303 

single incident of Stier's practicalness may be men- 
tioned. For months before his coming the Sabbath 
collections had ceased to bring in anything. Though 
the collection had frequently been announced, and 
the plates regularly passed around, it was all in vain ; 
they returned empty. This coming to Stier's notice, 
he preached a sermon expressly on the subject. 
Thereafter the sacristan was amazed at the liberal 
shower of small coin that poured into the plates as 
they circulated. 

Soon after assuming the post of chief pastor, 
Stier was rejoiced to receive as his deacon colleague 
Pastor Weiss, of Merseburg, a man thoroughly in 
sympathy with him, and who labored zealously at his 
side for eight years. 

What, now, were the general character and work- 
ings of Stier's ministry in Schkeuditz 1 The situa- 
tion of things when he entered upon his duties 
would hardly warrant the expectation of very rapid 
amelioration. Besides, the manifold outward duties 
and the much writing required by his superintend- 
entship greatly hindered his pastoral activity proper. 
Still there is ample evidence that his ministry did 
produce wholesome results. 

Dr. Elze, a rich proprietor of Schkeuditz, testifies : 
" What the deceased has profited me, only / can 
know. I owe to him a complete transformation of 
my religious views, and hence also a new Hfe. If I 
am ever saved by faith in my Redeemer and by trust 
in the grace of God, it is Stier who has shown me 
the way and guided me upon it." He further de- 
clares that never in his life has he met with any one 



304 Rudolf Stier. 

who surpassed Stier in nobleness and modesty of 
character, in friendliness, and in readiness to forgive 
others, and to make amends for an error of his own. 
He also avers that during the whole of Stier's min- 
istry in Schkeuditz the number of church attendants 
gradually increased. At the chief services not a 
single seat remained unoccupied. He admits that 
in some cases Stier's zeal seemed extreme, and made 
on strangers the impression of human passion ; but 
he insists that this was in all cases a misunderstand- 
ing. So much at least is due to Stier's memory as 
an offset to the statements which Tholuck makes in 
Herzog, on the ground of erroneous data, to the 
disparagement of Stier's labors in Schkeuditz. 

It is true, his ministry here did not pass without 
some collisions. It did not lie in Stier's nature 
patiently to look upon old abuses and not attempt 
their removal. He was not disposed, for example, 
to give full churchly sanction to the marriage of 
notorious adulterers. He saw with disapprobation 
that the custom of private communion had almost 
sui)plantcd the public eucharist in the Church. He 
could not approve that, in the act of confirmation, the 
children should have precedency in the order of their 
rank in their secular school-classes ; and his intro- 
ducing of an alphebetical order occasioned much 
angry feeling on the part of some doting parents. 

In all these respects Stier inaugurated reforms. 
If it resulted in not a few unpleasantnesses, who was 
chiefly to blame ? The fact is, only some such ener- 
getically independent character as that of Stier could 
have effected any real progress at all under the circum- 



A Strong WilL 305 

stances. His worthy successor in office, Dr. Weiss, 
joins in testifying to the wisdom and successfulness 
of Stier's ministry in Schkeuditz. He states that 
Stier caused the church attendance to increase by 
twenty-five per cent., and the number of communi- 
cants by ten, and adds that he regards the continued 
increase after Stier's departure as largely owing to 
the energetic initiation made by Stier. 

The rude stiff-necked population needed a stern 
will to do any thing with them, and this they 
found in Stier. Its workings were impressive and 
wholesome, though sometimes not very agreeable. 
Not unfrequently, for example, when members re- 
sented his exhortations and behaved disrespectfully, 
he showed them the door and bade them out of his 
presence. But nearly always they soon returned, 
and were then only all the more teachable. The pri- 
vate cure of souls he attended to here chiefly in his 
study. This was the custom of the place, and it 
very well harmonized with Stier's studious habits 
and his physical infirmities. He could thus ac- 
complish all the more work, both pastoral and liter- 
ary. He received visits at any hour, and, precious 
as his time was, never regretted spending even hours 
with a single person, provided only that he was ac- 
complishing spiritual results. 

But while his labors had a wholesome effect on the 
society in general, they were also effectual in creating 
a solid nucleus of truly converted souls. The Bible 
hours which he here held contributed largely to this. 
In his printed invitation to attend them he was care- 
ful to say that he would discourage in them all cant 



3o6 Rudolf Stikk. 

and fanaticism, and that all, learned or unlearned, 
who tliirsted for a deeper acquaintance with the pure 
Word of God, would be welcomed to them. 

And the learned and the unlearned did come. 
He held them at first in his own parlor ; but a large 
hall had soon to be resorted to. Those were precious 
hours. Their memory is still like the odor of sweet 
incense to many who are yet living. 

But the field of Stier's greatest usefulness at 
Schkeuditz was his superintendentship. This gave 
him scope for a happy influence upon the school- 
teachers and schools, and the pastors and parishes, 
of quite a little territory. 

Dr. Frobenius, of Merseburg, his immediate supe- 
rior in office, and who closely observed his movements 
for twelve years, bears the warmest testimony to the 
fruitfulness of his labors upon both schools and 
churches. And the testimony of the pastors over 
whom Stier was set is of the same character. Pastor 
Haring's words are to this effect : 

"Stier knew well how to disarm our prejudices 
and win our confidence. His installation services 
were marked in the highest degree by an unmistak- 
able unction from on high. I can never forget the 
solemnity of my induction into the pastorate in 185 1. 
His conversation was richly seasoned with knowl- 
edge and grace. Our general exclamation on 
leaving his presence was. How precious were those 
hours! As Ephor, he could easily have lightened 
many of his duties ; but his zeal forbade him any 
thoughts of himself As some of his pastors differed 
from him in theological convictions, our conferences 



A Knightly Spirit, 307 

were often attended with ringing collisions of dialec- 
tical swords. But in all cases we were forced to ad- 
mire both the thoroughness of his convictions and the 
erudition with which he justified them. And when 
any of us had our feelings hurt by his criticisms, 
then Stier himself was the first to extend to the party 
the hand of conciliation, with the hearty words, ^ Par- 
don me, dear brother, if I have seemed too hard upon 
you!* In his parish visitations he was thorough and 
conscientious. He usually closed with a private con- 
versation with the pastor, in which he told him, plainly 
and explicitly, but always kindly, of whatever he had 
seen amiss in the administration of the parish." 

Stier's influence on the schools was only less im- 
portant than that on the churches. He soon won 
the confidence of the whole body of teachers. He 
had them meet every month in the summer in a 
conference for mutual improvement. That they 
might all reach it with the least possible inconven- 
ience he selected a point in the center of the diocese. 
And to this place he punctually repaired himself, no 
matter what was the weather. Their sessions soon 
became so interesting that they were attended not 
only by all the teachers, but also by the pastors, and 
by not a few teachers from neighboring districts. 
The attraction of these meetings was not merely the 
intellectual element, but the heart also was interested. 
The humblest country teacher saw in Stier not a 
stiff officer, but a warmly sympathizing brother. In 
fact, few men knew better than Stier how to lay off' 
all embarrassing reserve, and meet persons of all 

classes on their own footing. 

21 



3o8 Rudolf Stikr. 

The influence of Stier's presence in the school- 
room had a happy effect both on teacher and pupil. 
The hours he spent with them were happy hours for 
the children. His visits came to be looked forward 
to as those of a cherished father. Sometimes he 
considerably unbalanced the dignity of the teacher 
by the jocose manner and pleasant anecdotes w^ith 
which he treated the scholars. But the one purpose 
steadily pursued in this part of his duties was to 
awaken the teachers to higher ability and warmer 
enthusiasm, and to increase their moral influence 
over the children. 

Stier embraced his superintendentship preferably 
in its episcopal sense. He often regretted that a 
Prussian superintendent has so few episcopal duties, 
and once said jocosely that he is, in fact, little more 
than a letter-bearer between the pastors and the 
government boards. He also regretted that the 
superintendent is so largely hindered from spiritual 
activity by the manifold detailed reports and records 
which he is required to make and keep. But to all 
this painstaking work he himself patiently submitted. 
Dr. Frobenius testifies that all his papers were 
drawn up with a precision and neatness ''rarely found 
in a great theologian." 

Also his character as learned theologian continued 
true to itself at Schkeuditz. His manifold duties 
could not arrest his literary activity, though they 
hindered him from producing any considerable new 
work. 

A labor in which he spent much pains was the 
preparation of a thoroughly revised edition of his 



Literary, 309 

"Words of the Lord Jesus," of his Commentary on 
''James/' and of his "Sermons on the Epistles.'* 
He also prepared an abridgment of his "Words" 
for the use of the laity, under the title of the " Words 
of the Word ; "* and also an abridgment of his 
Commentary on Ephesians. He wrote also a sup- 
plement to the " Words of the Lord Jesus," entitled 
the " Words of the Lord Jesus from Heaven."! 
Add to this the preparation of a volume of " Sermons 
on the Gospels,"! of a book of prayers, forms, etc., 
for the use of pastors, and of many fugitive reviews 
and essays, and we have, with one exception, the 
chief features of his literary activity at Schkeuditz. 
This exception was a fresh revision of Luther's Bible, 
more thorough than the one which he had made 
jointly with Von Meyer. 

Stier was greatly rejoiced in 1852, at a resolution 
of the Consistory of Magdeburg highly recommend- 
ing the introduction of Stier's Hymn-book. Not a 
few parishes embraced the permission and adopted 
it for their public service. 

Another and very laborious phase of Stier's 
activity at Schkeuditz was his extensive correspond- 
ence. Young ministers and foreign theologians 
wrote to him on an endless variety of subjects. He 
was asked for advice, suggestions, criticisms, etc., 
from a thousand unexpected quarters. Also many 
encouraging words came to him from far and near. 
Mr. Pope, a Wesleyan minister of England, who had 

* Die Worte des Wories^ 3 vols., Barmen, 1856-8. 

f DieReden des Herrn Jesu vom HUnmel her, Barmen, 1859. 

\ Evangelienpredigtcii, Braumschvveig, 1859. 



3IO Rudolf Stier. 

published, in Edinburgh, an EngHsh translation of 
his " Words of the Lord Jesus/' wrote to him : '' You 
may be assured that your exposition of our Lord's 
words has been rendered a great blessing in England. 
The commentators and writers of expository essays 
draw copiously from your fountain. This you per- 
ceive in Alford ; and I believe that you will to a great 
extent influence the general mind of the young En- 
glish ministry." 

As to personal intercourse with other theologians, 
Stier was largely hindered during his Schkeuditz 
ministry. Only once or twice could he make hasty 
visits to Tholuck, Julius Miiller and Moll, at Halle, 
and to Liebner and others at Leipzig. But he was 
partially compensated for this by the numerous 
visitors who came to him. Only occasionally he 
found time for filling calls for services outside of his 
diocese. A missionary address which he delivered 
among the strict Lutherans of Leipzig became the 
occasion of no little healthy controversy. In 1856, 
he rendered important service in a special conference 
of Prussian theologians called together at Berlin. He 
took ground here, against the confessionalists, for a 
less Romish practice on the subject of divorce and of 
the remarriage of the divorced. 

Not long after this, Stier became the instrument 
of a very wide influence on the Church of Saxon Prus- 
sia, by calling into life a " union " of such of the cler- 
gy as favored the Prussian Church Union as against 
the tendency of the Neo-Lutherans. The society 
soon embraced as many as one hundred and thirty- 
five clergymen, including fifteen superintendents. 



Happy Children, 311 

It had a salutary tendency to strengthen the 
golden mean between the confessionless Rationalists 
on the one hand, and the high sacramentarians on 
the other. 

Stier's private and domestic life was at this period 
an alternation of joy and sorrow. His own health 
was very frail. He lost a son in its early childhood. 
The oldest daughter of his second marriage, Hilde- 
garde, was terribly afflicted with an abnormal state of 
her nervous system. After 1854 she grew utterly 
helpless, and suffered from fearful spasms. The in- 
cessant care which she, for a long while, required was 
very exhaustive to her parents. But these dark 
phases were relieved by brighter ones. Within a 
single year Stier had the joy of uniting his three 
oldest children in happy marriages. His second son 
entered at once into the ministry. The husband of 
one of his daughters became a teacher at Stier's for- 
mer post, Karalene. Some years previously, his aged 
father had died. He had lately written with trem- 
bling hand to Rudolf, closing with the words : '' Pray 
to God for me that he may give me grace and mercy, 
and for my Redeemer s sake help me to a good 
death.'* In 1857, he saw for the last time his wid- 
owed mother. 

At the beginning of his ministry at Schkeuditz, 
he hoped to be able there to close his life. After the 
lapse of nine years, however, he felt the weight too 
heavy for his sinking strength, and longed for a 
lighter position. Making known his desires to Lehn- 
erdt, his present immediate superior, they were not 
long in meeting a response. The desired lightening 



312 Rudolf Stier. 

of his labors and a beautiful evening of life were ob- 
tained for him by his transference to the much more 
congenial position of superintendent at Eisleben, 
and of chief pastor in the Church of St. Andrew's in 
that city. 

In his closing sermon at Schkeuditz he aimed at 
definite practical effect, and addressed himself, first, 
to those who, though rarely hearing him, were yet 
present on that particular occasion ; second, to those 
who had often heard him,*but had not as yet heeded 
the message ; and, third, to those in whom a solid 
religious foundation was already laid. Of the latter 
he said that he knew quite a number, and he rejoiced 
to believe that God knew of still more. Thus, with 
an earnest word to all classes, closed his nine years* 
labor in Schkeuditz. 




CHAPTER XX. 

Three Years as Superintendent at Eisleben — 
Sudden Death. 

[AugiASt, 1859, to December, 1862.] 

^ISLEBEN, the ancient, pleasantly-situated Ref- 
ormation city, contained, in 1859, some twelve 
thousand inhabitants, and was relatively well 
supplied with churches and pastors. Besides the 
Catholic Church, it had four principal Protestant 
Churches. The chief of these four is St. Andrew's, 
which still contains the curious old pulpit from which 
Luther often preached. Of the eight pastors of the 
city, three belonged to St. Andrew's. The first of 
these is also superintendent of the diocese of 
Eisleben, which embraces ten parishes in the adjacent 
country. 

Stier was inducted into the chief pastorate in 
August, 1859, by Arch-deacon Schroter, and in Sep- 
tember into the superintendentship,by Dr. Lehnerdt. 

The state of religion which Stier found in Eisleben 
was the same as that of most Saxon towns at this 
period. There prevailed a general indifference, and 
the attendance on the church services had largely 
declined. And yet there were a few, both in the 
upper and in the lower classes, with whom religion 



314 Rudolf Stikr. 

was a matter of earnest. Stier's first colleague, Dr. 
Schroter, preached the afternoon sermons, in a truly 
evangelical spirit. Two other of the city pastors were 
thoroughly zealous Christians. As his colleagues 
were charged with the instruction of the youth, 
Stier's pastoral activity was almost confined to the 
forenoon Sunday sermon. Upon these sermons, 
therefore, he bestowed all the more care. He was 
especially delighted to have among his auditors here 
not a few who belonged to the more cultivated class. 
Hence his sermons assumed here a higher tone, and 
he was able more than ever before to draw richly 
from the abundant fullness of his theological knowl- 
edge. His constant aim was to promote a clear knowl- 
edge of the deeper Christian truth by an intelligent 
unfolding of the inner sense of the Scriptures, and 
in this way to awaken, and then to satisfy, the hun- 
ger of his auditors after righteousness. In Eisleben, 
more than ever before, he laid hold upon the great 
truths of philosophy, and showed their relationship 
to essential Christianity. A learned pastor who 
heard him preach at this period declares that Stier 
was absolutely unsurpassed in the practical elucida- 
tion of Scripture by Scripture. He called him a 
** Bible virtuoso." It is true, his sermons required 
close attention ; but as they were here intended more 
for the cultivated than for others, this was a positive 
recommendation. Also their frequent great length 
was no disadvantage, though it prevented them from 
being popular. It is very noteworthy that Stier's 
audiences in Eisleben differed from the usual char- 
acter of German church attendance by consisting 



Bible - Hours, 3 ^ 5 

mostly of men, and that, too, of scientifically cultured 
men. 

During the first year he preached on miscellaneous 
texts, in the second on the Epistles, and in the third 
again on general texts. During the last year, his ser- 
mons were of great power. A pastor who often 
heard, him said : " One was tempted to believe that 
this man had not only sat at the feet of the Apostles 
and Prophets, but also had heard from the lips of the 
Lord Jesus himself" He preached of the love of 
Christ to sinners, and of the blessedness of his king- 
dom, in such a manner as to make the unwavering 
impression that he himself already drank of the full- 
ness of that bliss. In preaching on the Passion, he 
described the Lord and the persons about him in 
such vivid colors that it seemed to the auditors as if 
the whole tragedy were transpiring before their own 
eyes and ears. 

During the second winter he held a series of 
Bible-hours. Also these assumed here a higher char- 
acter than those he had held at Schkeuditz. He 
prepared himself for them with the greatest care. 
Though not usually opening them with formal prayer, 
yet his whole presence was radiant with the spirit of 
adoration. And this spirit took deeply hold upon 
all present. They were rich and delightful hours, 
never to be forgotten by those who had the happi- 
ness of attending them. 

As Stier's office here did not put him into imme- 
diate contact with the people, he endeavored to in- 
fluence the general Church-life indirectly through 
the other pastors. To this end he organized a semi- 



3i6 Rudolf Stiek. 

monthly preachers' meeting. One of the first reforms 
undertaken was in regard to the eucharist. It had 
come about here that the Lord's Supper had almost 
ceased to be administered on the Sabbath, but was cel- 
ebrated for the most part only privately, or on week- 
days immediately after the General Confession. In 
March, i860, Stier induced all the pastors of the city 
to resolve that after Easter all week-day communing 
should cease. A second reform was in regard to 
burials. It had become usual that a clergyman at- 
tended the burials only when specially solicited. 
Stier preached a sermon on this subject that made 
a great sensation. He also induced the pastors to 
announce from all the pulpits their readiness to be 
present at all burials, and that, too, without any 
special fee. 

As to Stier's labors as superintendent we have 
abundant information from pastor Wettler. At the 
time of the death of Stier's predecessor in Eisleben, 
Wettler was one of the candidates of theology in the 
diocese. In his letters as to Stier's labors, he in- 
troduces us into a little conference of the diocese 
candidates, in which the question was considered, 
Who ought to be called to the vacant superintend- 
entship } All agreed that none but a man of great 
eminence would be suitable for the place. At this 
point a member suddenly gave his conviction that 
the superintendent would be Stier. It occasioned a 
little hilarity that he thought it necessary to add, 
'' Stier of Schkeuditz." '' Stier, then ! that is to say, 
our chief is to be taken from the general staff of 
theology ! " exclaimed a facetious brother. The im- 



Stiers Manner, 317 

pression upon them all was that of general satisfac- 
tion. 

When the day of Stier s induction had drawn near, 
the candidates called on him in a body to welcome 
him. As their leader, with throbbing heart, rapped 
at his door, they were answered by a hearty "Come 
in ! " A moment afterward they stood in the pres- 
ence of a man of medium stature, fresh-colored coun- 
tenance, penetrating blue eyes, snow-white hair, and 
extremely quick gestures. His general appearance 
had nothing of the professional theologian, but was 
that of an emphatically practical clergyman. The 
candidates found his manner such as they had ex- 
pected. For formal introductions and the like he 
had not the least regard. He proceeded at once to 
the real business of the occasion, namely, to get 
acquainted with the young men and to make himself 
known to them. To the one he spoke of his univer- 
sity studies, to the other of his approaching examina- 
tion, and to a third of the books he was then read- 
ing. His utterances were hasty but pointed words, 
interrupted by all sorts of inquiries. On leaving his 
presence, it seemed to the young men almost a miracle 
how perfectly appropriate to each had been the words 
he had addressed to them. It seemed to some of 
them as if Stier had almost read the very secrets of 
their hearts. His last words had been : " I shall 
keep you in my eye, and bear you upon my heart ; 
let your work be true and genuine." The shortness 
and abruptness of his manner had not seemed very 
pleasant, but his lively spirit-sparkling personality 
had potently impressed them all. 



3i8 Rudolf Stier. 

On the day of his installation he had made the 
same impression. Every-where he hurried through 
with mere official forms, and grasped at once to the 
heart of the matter in hand. His sermon, on the 
occasion, had not the least tinge of mere rhetoric, 
but aim.ed, from first to last, at immediate practical 
eftect. No one had ever the least doubt as to what 
and hozv and who was meant by what he said. 

It became evident from the very start that Stier 
was bent on becoming personally and intimately 
acquainted with all the pastors and parishes of his 
diocese. Soon after his arrival he determined, not- 
withstanding the bad November weather and his deli- 
cate health, to make the circuit of his parishes. " I 
must," said he, '' have a picture of you all, already 
this autumn, before I meet you in the spring confer- 
ence, and to this end I must now begin to gather my 
colors." And that he actually did so, made the 
happiest impression upon all. Especially were his 
preachers pleased at the thoroughness and consider- 
ate kindness with which he inquired into all the 
personal and local details of each pastor and parish. 

But the acme of Stier's wholesome influence upon 
his diocese was in the stated conferences in which 
he met with all the pastors. Here it became evident 
to all how earnestly he endeavored to utilize every 
talent in the best direction. He introduced the 
alphabetic order of the names, calling upon every 
one in turn to express himself upon every question 
discussed. In preparing for these conferences, he 
left it free for every one to write upon the theme 
which most interested him. And when they entered 



Pastoral Conferences. 319 

upon a discussion, it was charming to see how he 
gave fully as much attention to the feeblest member 
as to the most talented, and by his concluding crit- 
icisms endeavored to give to each precisely the help 
he needed. Though Stier himself spoke the most and 
most frequently, this was never felt as a drawback ; 
for his remarks, especially those in which he summed 
up the debate, were always rich with instruction and 
stimulation. In the general theses which he sug- 
gested for consideration, it was always evident that 
he aimed at direct practical effects. And in fact 
almost every conference closed with resolutions to 
enter upon some immediate reform or improve- 
ment. 

The following may serve as specimens of these 
theses : How best to prepare and deliver the Divine 
message — In how far may a preacher refer in his 
sermxon to the original text — How to use the liturgy 
worthily and to read the Scripture lessons impressively 
— The best theory and practice of pastoral visiting — 
The proper reading of the hymn-book — The example 
of the pastor in observing the Sabbath — The respect 
a pastor should have for his sacred office. 

As might be anticipated, these conferences when 
held in Stier's manner required considerable time. 
At first they assembled every month ; but soon this 
did not suffice Stier ; he desired meetings twice a 
month, save when the roads were worst, in winter. 
And to this all cheerfully agreed. No one ever 
thought of finding it too much. The same was the 
case with the school-teachers. Stier also met them 
very frequently. Pastor Wettler says that he heard 



320 Rudolf Stier. 

many of them say that they looked forward to the 
conference day with the greatest dehght. And in 
all their association with him they could not fail to 
perceive that his one chief ultimate aim was to turn 
their minds in confiding trust to the Lamb of God 
that takes away the sin of the world. 

In all his intercourse with pastors and teachers 
his original character of strong-willedness never de- 
nied itself. On one occasion he severely criticised 
some of the trial sermons of the candidates for the 
ministry. He especially objected to all mere orna- 
mentation and to the artificial divisions to which 
young men are so inclined. When a young preacher 
appealed to a great name in self-justification, Stier 
replied : '' Certainly, he is an authority, but, by the 
grace of God, I may say that I am one also." On 
another occasion he had sent for the business records 
of a certain parish at another time than the regular 
visitation period. In the next pastoral conference, a 
preacher expressed in that frank, open manner which 
Stier loved, his doubts as to whether a superintend- 
ent had a right to do so. " I have the right to visit 
you by day and by night ! " was the quick answer. 
But Stier had the art, as few others, to smoothen the 
way for his strong will by a rare gentleness and affa- 
bility of manner. Pastor Winzer, a theological op- 
ponent, remarks that Stier, notwithstanding his 
delight in polemics and his frequently wounding 
manner in his writings, was yet always extremely 
affable and conciliatory in his personal intercourse, 
and that whenever he had the least suspicion that 
he had wounded anv one bv his over-zeal, he was sure 



''Words of the Angels r 321 

not to part with him without having asked his 
pardon. 

Stier's h'terary labor in Eisleben was not very 
extensive. It was Hmited to the production of revised 
editions of several of his works, the completing of his 
" Words of the Angels," * and the production of a 
controversial work on German Bible-revision. 

Stier enjoyed his new office very greatly, So 
well did he feel, that he thought for awhile that he 
was going to grow young again, and perhaps to enjoy 
another decade of work in the Lord's vineyard. In 
March, i860, he could write : " That I have obtained 
the place best possibly adapted to my age, giving me 
fresh stimulation, as also the needful lightening of 
my labors, I am yet, after having experienced its 
inevitable shady sides and burdens, thankfully and 
firmly convinced. I can also say that I really feel 
a degree of rejuvenation and of better health." In 
this same year was born to him the first grandchild 
of his own name. 

For a while, in Eisleben, Stier gave himself more 
to social intercourse than had been his wont. He 
engaged therein here all the more cheerfully as 
the circle of his brother pastors and of educated 
citizens offered him a fine opportunity for exerting a 
potent and direct influence for his Master. Besides 
sharing in large evening parties in the city, he also 
exercised a generous hospitality himself It was an 
especial joy for him to assemble, from time to time, 
in his own house, the pastors and candidates of his 
diocese. He knew, as few others, how, with the good 

'^ Die Rcdcn dcr Engcl, Ikarmcn, 1861. 



322 Rudolf Stiek. 

leaven of wit and ingeniously worded toasts, to sea- 
son and enliven such social occasions. And yet the 
most sparkling passages were never without a deep 
and serious background. 

But it was not the pleasure of the Lord to prolong 
this beautiful life. Severe strokes soon came, to be- 
cloud the cneerful earthly outlook. Stier's previous- 
ly mentioned afflicted daughter, Hildegarde, grew 
rapidly w^orse. The spasms from which she had so 
long suffered, now began to affect her brain. Fi- 
nally, in 1 86 1, to the great grief of her parents, it 
was found necessary to transfer her to an asylum at 
Kaisersw^erth, on the Rhine, w^here she thenceforth 
enjoyed all possible care. 

This painful incident reacted dangerously upon 
Stier's own health. Early in 1862, his chronic affec- 
tion of the throat assumed a disquieting character. 
Conscious of a gradual decrease of strength, he now 
made his testament, so as to be calmly ready for what- 
ever might come. He had long since fully learned 
to be patient in the midst of bodily distress. This 
was now all the more practicable as his forebodings 
did not leave him that his end was near at hand. In 
May he \vrote to a relative : '' That it is a precious 
thing, however contrary to our flesh, for a man to 
bear the yoke in his old age, I could prove to you 
by many experiences ; which I will not, however, in- 
tlict upon you. But then, after the close of our work, 
how much pleasanter it will be to enter into rest ! 
May the Lord help me in this by his grace ! Until 
he sees fit to call me, I commit every thing to his 
wisdom." 



Approaches of Death. 323 

Shortly after this, he had a severe attack of blood- 
spitting, so that the physician prescribed, among 
other remedies, the greatest possible quiet and an 
entire avoidance of speaking. Thus, painful as it 
was, he was forced to give up all thought of preach- 
ing on the approaching festival occasions. Brief 
walks and an easy journey to one of his sons brought 
slight momentary relief. On the 15th of June, he 
would not be dissuaded from making a Church-visita- 
tion in a small parish where he " would not need to 
speak loudly." And from thenceforth he insisted on 
filling his regular appointments to preach. He also 
made several further visitations of Churches and 
schools, and presided in the monthly conferences of 
the clergy as well as of the teachers of his diocese. 
After every public exertion of this kind, however, 
he suffered severely in his throat and in his nervous 
system, and required soothing remedies. He suffered 
also increasingly from shortness of breath, and was 
thereby largely hindered from exercise in the open air. 
In the brief walks which he was able to take, he was 
usually accompanied by his wife. When he went 
alone he frequently gathered flocks of little children 
about him, occasionally sitting down and reciting 
pretty verses to them, or otherwise cheerfully enter- 
taining them. Though forced to decline several invi- 
tations to make addresses, he yet could not refrain from 
attending, in October, a pastoral conference at Halle. 

On the 1 2th of October, at the dedication of a 

new church in his diocese, General Superintendent 

Lehnerdt held the address of consecration, the local 

pastor preached the sermon, and he himself read the 

22 



324 Rudolf Stiek. 

liturgy and oftered prayer. This was his last official 
act outside of Eisleben. From this season of spirit- 
ual association with the genial and gifted Lehnerdt 
he derived rich enjoyment. ^ 

The week after the above dedication Stier resumed 
his winter Bible-hours. Pretty soon, however, such 
severe bronchial and nervous troubles set in that he 
could obtain but little sleep. At best, he could get 
through a night only with some five or six interrup- 
tions by spasms of coughing. All his remaining 
days were now a protracted and severe suffering. 
He doubtless meditated much on his hour of depart- 
ure, but neither himself nor his physician anticipated 
so sudden a death as fell to his lot. *' As far as I am 
concerned," said he to his wife, '' I would prefer a 
speedy departure ; but for your sake and that of the 
children, I would much desire to live longer." He 
bore his sufferings with the greatest patience. In 
September he had written : " I feel that it is strictly 
forbidden to me to pray directly to God for bodily 
health, although, after the example of Sirach, I ren- 
der the physician all due honor. I flatter myself that 
I have now learned a little more self-control and pa- 
tience than are to be credited to my natural tempera- 
ment ; and I can also testify to the honor of God, 
that during all this period of tempting trial I have 
successfully kept off all manner of complaining ; and 
not only that, but I have, on the contrary, heartily 
thanked God for the benefits of this final chastening." 
It was doubtless about this time that Stier remarked 
to his wife that, '' it will be an honor neither in this 
life nor in the next to have suffered but little." 



Love in Wedlock. 325 

Thus passed by the days which were bringing 
him, more rapidly than he thought, to the close of his 
chastening. His occupation was now chiefly either 
silent meditation, or the reading of some of the rich 
treasures of German hymnology. Usually he re- 
mained in his study the whole forenoon, but quite 
recently he began to come into the family circle for a 
brief hour about nine o'clock. Though not over- 
communicative in these moments, yet his wife felt 
herself deeply impressed by the spirit of radiant peace 
which beamed from his very person. 

In the latter part of November, Stier's active spirit 
planned and began a new series of sermons on the 
history of our Lord. But he lived only to begin them. 
His last delivered sermon was on the Annunciation 
to Mary. It breathed an unusual spirit of affection- 
ate gentleness. Also the impression left by his last 
Bible-hours was deep and permanent. He was eluci- 
dating the Gospel of St. John. On arriving at the 
account of the marriage at Cana, he expressed him- 
self most beautifully as to the ever-deepening union 
of Christian hearts in wedlock. Pastor Winzer, who 
was present, says thereof: "At this point his whole 
heart, warm at the recollection of his own rich and 
long experience, overflowed in a stream of the warm- 
est eloquence. He contested, with almost youthful 
fervency, the opinion of those who think that wedlock 
love decreases with years. * No ! ' exclaimed he, (in 
reference to the words, *thou hast kept the good 
wine until the last,') *thc love of Christian consorts 
does not decline with time ; on the contrary, the 
longer they live together the dearer and the more 



326 Rudolf Stier. 

precious they grow to each other. For they know 
the treasure they have in each other, and in the Lord 
who supports their decHning years.' And here his 
eyes ovcrstreamed with tears, as they fell upon the 
faithful wife who sat listening at his feet, and who 
had so tenderly given the strength of her life to his 
care. Every one present was deeply affected and 
impressed." 

A week or so later — December lo — he had arrived 
in his Bible-hours at the text, '' For God so loved the 
world," etc. Pastor Winzer writes of the occasion 
thus : *' I regret that I am not a stenographer so that 
I might have noted down, word for word, Stier's 
brilliant exposition of this verse. With tremulous 
lips and weeping eyes he discoursed of the unfathom- 
able mercy of God as expressed in this germ-passage 
of the w^hole Bible, illustrating it with many a touch- 
ing and intimately related incident, and was so utter- 
ly absorbed thereby that the whole hour had elapsed 
before he could touch upon the second half of the 
text. He therefore closed with the remark that in 
the lesson of next week he would speak of the con- 
dition of our sharing in the grace of God through 
Christ, namely, faith. Unfortunately for us, the 
hour for this longed-for Bible-lesson never struck for 
Stier." 

The hours that yet remained for him seemed now 
to take wings to themselves. From the 7th to the 
1 2th of December his night-coughing and tendency 
to suffocation had rapidly increased. But he de- 
sired to defer calling his physician until after his 
Sabbath sermon. To the exclamation of his wife, 



The Last Night. 327 

" How can you think of preaching to-morrow ! " he 
replied, with an almost transfigured face : " O yes ! 
I shall be able to do it ;" and then, as if absorbed in 
his text, he repeated it : " Blessed is she that be- 
lieved." And he did preach. After opposing all 
Romanizing worship of Mary, he beautifully showed 
how we are to imitate her in her child-like trustful 
faith. On Monday the physician prescribed various 
remedies for him, but to no effect. In the afternoon 
he began to prepare for his Wednesday Bible-hour. 
Tuesday morning he resumed it. At eleven o'clock, 
he asked his wife to walk out with him. As to this 
walk and as to his last hours, we quote from the nar- 
rative of his surviving widow : ^* First, he went with 
me to the new school-house> at whose founding 
he had some months previously made an address. 
Here he stood quite silent for a few minutes, un- 
doubtedly praying for the school. Then we went to 
an open spot from which all the church steeples of 
Eisleben can be seen at once. Here he stood still 
again, and pointed out to me each church. Then he 
prayed for each of them silently. We did not go 
much further. Though he had coughed only once 
during the walk, he yet became very weary. On 
reaching his room, he sank down exhausted in his 
chair. At noon he ate a little, and then tried to 
sleep in his chair, but could not. After busying 
himself in his study with various official papers, he 
came down into the family-room about six o'clock, 
and spoke cheerfully with us all. Then he sat for a 
considerable while silent in his arm-chair. Toward 
nine he called for a glass of Seltzer water, remark- 



328 Rudolf Stier, 

ing that he * felt about as poorly as he possibly could/ 
Earlier than usual, he went up stairs \Wth me, first 
into his study where he wound up his clock, and 
then into his bed-room. On bidding me 'good- 
night/ he exclaimed : ' Would that I did not have to 
lie down ! ' He did lie down, however, and put out 
his light. 

** I had gone up stairs with him this evening just 
as was our custom, but I lay dowTi as usual in the 
adjacent room. This is as, with his increasing ten- 
dency to suffocation, he had expressly desired. After 
earnestly praying the Lord that my poor husband 
might finally have his sufierings lessened, I gave 
myself to rest and fell asleep immediately. Soon, 
however, I was awakened by hearing him get up. I 
thought he was simply going to take a drink, and 
then Jie down again. In a moment, however, I 
heard him deeply gasping. At once I sprang to 
him, and found that he had sunk down at the bed- 
side, and was unconscious. Ringing for help, I had 
him placed upon his bed. He was quite warm, but 
breathed verj* difficultly. It now struck ten, and 
hence it was less than an hour after we had come up 
stairs. The physician was soon at hand, and ren- 
dered ever)' possible help. He at once obser\'ed : 
* It is well that Dr. Stier is unconscious, othenvise 
he would suffer terribly.' The breathing lasted some 
time longer, but was extremely difficult. Finally, 
just before midnight, it entirely ceased, and the 
spirit had taken its flight. An indescribable peace 
rested now upon his beautiful features, and, notwith- 
standing our deep pain at the outer separation, we 



Sudden Death. 329 

could but be glad at this his sweet rest — this deliver- 
ance from his many sufferings. When I and the 
children had somewhat composed ourselves, I urged 
them to repair to rest. I myself remained alone 
with the corpse, laying myself down after awhile in 
the adjoining open room. But from time to time I 
arose to quiet my grief in contemplating the peace- 
ful features of the departed. Thus also I continued 
to do on the following day, and I was always quieted 
and strengthened. 

*^ The next morning, December 17, I found upon 
his desk three official papers written the evening 
before, and a sheet upon which he had briefly noted 
down his thoughts for the Bible-hour which he was 
to have held this same day. But when the usual 
time for the Bible-hour had come, he rested already 
in the talar (gown) which he had so long and faith- 
fully worn in the service of his Lord. Would that 
all of his children and of his brother pastors could 
have seen him as he there lay ! That peace upon 
his countenance ! that repose of the weary-worn 
body ! " 

Outside of Stier's immediate relatives, scarcely 
any one was prepared for the news of his sudden de- 
cease. It had even excited surprise at one of the 
last of the pastoral conferences of his diocese when 
he advised that the meetings be punctually kept up 
whether he should be with them or not — adding that 
he " hardly expected to be able to reach the end of 
the alphabet,'* (of the names of the essayists.) As to 
the impression made by the news of his death. Pastor 
Wettler, then a candidate for the ministry, writes : 



330 Rudolf Stier. 

*' It was on a dismal December day in 1862 that we 
candidates successively gathered together in our 
usual conference-room. There the report came to 
us suddenly : '' Stier is dead — to-day ! ' I can say 
here only this, that we all sat together at least a half 
hour without breaking the silence with a single 
word ! The news had come upon us like a dead-fall. 
There were still three among us who had, three years 
previously, heard with joy the announcement : * Stier 
is to be our superintendent/ As we now buried 
him on a chilly, rainy afternoon, I noticed but little 
merely official mourning ; but I have never wit- 
nessed, before or since, such real personal grief as I 
there saw among his brother pastors and the candi- 
dates and teachers of his whole diocese. And from 
far and near the exclamation was repeated : A great 
one has fallen in Israel ! — wey however, knew that to 
us he had been even more." 

Prelate Lehnerdt would have gladly been at the 
funeral, but the news reached him too late. On the 
day of the burial, however, he wrote to the widow : 
"This sad news has deeply affected me. To the 
many painful trials that have befallen me this year, 
is now added this fresh one. Although, when I last 
saw the beloved deceased, his asthmatic symptoms 
made me feel concerned for him, I was yet far from 
anticipating that the Lord would so soon call him 
home. Hence the news afflicts me all the more 
deeply. But what shall I now say to you ? I sorely 
lament and sympathize with you in your great loss. 
You possessed in him the most faithful and tenderly 
loving friend, the long-tried life-companion, the ripely 



The Fu7teraL 331 

Christian sharer of your fortunes ; and now he is 
gone ! And I myself and many others with me — 
what a treasure had not we also in him ! How 
great is also our loss ! I cannot and desire not now 
to enter into details — my heart is too heavy for that ; 
but this I deeply bewail before God — that a hero has 
fallen in Israel ! a richly gifted and consecrated in- 
strument in the hands of the Lord ! Of such as he 
there are now, and have been in all ages of the 
Church, but a rare few. His loss will soon be deep- 
ly and sadly realized by/ the general public, and the 
lamentation over his departure will not cease very 
soon. And yet, in our grief, we should be careful not 
to forget how deeply we are indebted to the Lord for 
sparing him to us thus long ; and it is ours now care- 
fully to watch over and cultivate the rich and promis- 
ing seeding which he has sown in the field of God — 
he than whom none of the wisest expounders of the 
Word have ever drawn from that Word deeper 
draughts of truth and of personal bliss. To him we 
may unhesitatingly apply the words : ' They that be 
teachers shall shine as the brightness of the firma- 
ment ; and they that turn many to righteousness, as 
the stars for ever and ever.' " 

The funeral sermon was preached by Stier s first 
colleague, Archdeacon Schroter. He chose as his 
text the apt words just cited by General Superintend- 
ant Lehnerdt. " The entire life of the deceased," said 
Dr. Schroter, " has been little else than a triumphal 
ode to the grace of God which was so abundantly 
glorified in him, whether we look upon his Christian 
eqtdpment or his fruitful life-work, the trial of his 



332 Rudolf Stikk. 

faiili or the issue of liis career!' And then he re- 
hearsed Stier's rare spiritual gifts ; his frank, honest 
sense for the truth, for which he had so often fearless- 
ly entered the lists ; his faithful utilizing of his in- 
trusted talents, both with pen and with tongue ; the 
manifold severe trials laid upon himself and his fam- 
ily ; the uniform patience with which he bore them, 
even to the end ; and, finally, his complete prepared- 
ness for the death which had now so suddenly come 
upon him. 

Owing to the storminess ot the weather, the deliv- 
ery of the discourse which Stier s second colleague 
had purposed pronouncing at the grave had to be 
omitted. With the simple reading of the liturgical 
prayer for such occasions, and the singing of a hymn 
by a chorus of young teachers, the plain coffin was 
committed to the earth. 

The traveler will find Stier's grave near the east- 
ern wall of the Eisleben cemetery. It is marked by 
a simple monument in the form of a cross, and is in- 
scribed with the favorite life-motto of the deceased : 
"But the word of our God shall stand forever." 
What motto more apt than these words } what monu- 
ment more appropriate than the cross 1 



THE END, 



Works Translated by the Same Author, 
PUBLISHED BY NELSON & PHILLIPS, 

80s BROADWAY, NEW YORK. 



I. Christian Ethics. Translated from the German of Dr. A. 
WuTTKE. 2 vols. Price, $1 75, each. 

Vol. I. History of Ethics. With a Special Preface by Dr. 

RiEHM, of the *' Sttidien und Kritiken,^^ 
Vol. II. Pure Ethics. With an Introduction by Dr. W. F. 
Warren, of Boston University. 

It fairly bristles with erudition. — New York Tribune. 

Above all, it is grounded in Christianity, and develops Ethical 
Science from a Christian stand-point. — Presbyterian Quarterly and 
Princeton Review, 

To an English reader it may seem novel, yet to the preacher and 
theologian it opens many rich trains of thought. — New Englander. 

Professor Lacroix has given us a good translation of this important 
work. — The Independent^ New York. 

The perusal of these two duodecimo volumes (pp. 378 and 348) 
has afforded us exquisite pleasure, and yielded immense profit. We 
are as much carried away with this work as Dr. Riehm, who wrote 
the Special Preface, and Dr. Warren, who wrote the Introduction to 
the second volume — and they laud it without stint. . . . The theo- 
logical stand-point is Lutheran, but in the case of Christian Ethics 
that is Arminian — the grand old Libertarian philosophy and theol- 
ogy. How John Goodwin, and John Wesley, and John Fletcher, 
and Richard Watson, would have luxuriated in these volumes ! His 
scientific treatment of Christian Ethics develops the state of holiness, 
or Christian perfection, as the goal which all may and should attain. 
His development of faith, as an ethical principle — pertaining to the 
sensibilities and the will, as well as to the intellect, is beautifully in 
accordance with our theology. We have marked so many passages 
for quotation that we are staggered at their number. — Dr. Summers 
171 Nashville Christiati Advocate, (Cluircli South.) 



Works Translated by the Same Author, 

II. William the Tacitlrn. From the French of L. Abelous. 
Pp. 259. Price, $1 25. 

III. The Problem of Evil. From the French of M. Ernest 
Naville. i2mo., pp. 330. The only authorized translation. 
Price, $1 50. 

Professor Lacroix, well known as the translator of Pressens^'s 
" Religion and the Reign of Terror," has produced an accurate trans- 
lation of this interesting and valuable work, which is accompanied 
with a Preface from Naville's pen. The work, though on a recondite 
subject, was delivered in a series of lectures to popular audiences, is 
marked by the eminently French transparency of style, will be clear 
and attractive to the most ordinary reader, and will do brave battle 
against the Pantheism and Rationalism of our age and country. 

The French prose writers are distinguished for clearness, point, and 
eloquence. M. Naville is master of the secrets of French vivacity 
and lucidity. His sentences are gems well set. Professor Lacroix 
has done a real service to literature and to American students and 
preachers by translating this excellent work. It is not a verbose 
Ireatise encumbered with philosophical bombast, but a clear, sensible 
discussion, in reasonable phrase, of the most intricate problems. We 
cannot praise too highly this able work, and we commend it with the 
hope that it will be read by many thousands. — North-western 
Advocate. 

IV. Religion and the Reign of Terror ; or, the Church dur- 
ing the French Revolution. Translated from the French of De 
Pressense. i2mo., pp. 416. Price, $1 75. 

Every clergyman, every Christian, every radical and bigot, every 
American citizen, should read this book. — Universalist Quarterly. 

Every young man especially ought to read it. It contains highest 
lessons most pleasantly conveyed. — Dr. Warren, in Zion's Herald. 

The thrilling scenes and remarkable personages of the French 
Revolution come under most careful revision, and are all placed in 
lights and relations where they are seldom seen. — North-western 
Ch ris tia n A dvoca te. 





PUBLISHED BY NELSON & PHILLIPS, 
805 Broadway, New York. 



BIOORAPHY. 

Abbott^ Rev. Benjamin^ 

Life of. By Kev. J. Ffirtr. 18mo $0 55 

Anecdotes of the Wesleys. 

By Rev. J. B. Wakeley. Large 16mo 1 25 

Asbury and his Coadjtctors. 

By Wm. C. Larrabee. 2 volumes 2 25 

Asbicry^ Francis^ Life and Times of; 

or, The Pioneer Bishop. By W. P. Strickland, D.D. l2mo. 1 75 

Ba7igs^ Rev. Dr. Nathan^ 

Life and Times of. By Rev. Abel Stevens, LL.D 1 75 

Half morocco 2 25 

Biographical Sketches of Methodist Ministers^ 

By J. M'Clintock, D.D. 8vo. Imitation morocco 5 00 

Boeh^n's Reminiscences., 

Historical and Biographical. 12mo 1 75 

Bram7vell^ Life of William., 

18mo 60 

Car tw right, Peter., Autobiography of 

Edited by W. P. Strickland, D.D. l2mo 1 75 

Car7^osso, Life of, 

18mo 75 

Celebrated Women, Biographies of, 

With twenty-eiglit splendid Enffravins^s on steel, executed 
by the best American artists. Impenal Svo. Printed on 
beautifully tinted paper. Turkey morocco, gilt edge and bev- 
eled boards 20 00 

Chalmers, 77iomas, 

A Biograp^iicid Study By James Doddp. Lnvixe IGmo 1 50 



BOOKS FOR THE FAMILY— BIOGRAPHY. 

Christianity Tested by Emincjit Men., 

Being Brief Sketches of Christian Biography. By Merritt 
('ald>vi;ll, A.m. IGino $0 GC 

Clarke, Dr. A., 

Lil'e of. 12ino 1 50 

Clarke, Dr. Adam, 

Life of. New. Bv J. W. Ethekidge, M.A. 12rno 175 

Half calf. ..'. 9 25 

Clark, Rev. John, 

Life of. By Kcv. B. M. Hall. 12iuo 1 25 

Cromwell, Oliver, 

Life of. By Charles Adams, D.D. ICruo 1 2.") 

Dan Young, 

Autobiography of. By Wm. P. Strickland, D.D. 12mo... 1 75 

Early Crowned. 

A Memoir of Mar v E. North. ICmo 1 25 

Emory, Bishops 

Life of. By K. Emokv. 8vo 17c 

Episcopius, 

Life of. By Frederic Calder. 12ino 1 20 

Eletcher, John, 

Life of. By Rev. Josepu Benson. 12ino 1 25 

Fleteher, Mrs. Mary, Life of. 

By Rev. H. Moore. 12rao 1 60 

Garrettson, Rev. Freeborn, 

Life of. By Nathan Bangs, D.D. 12ino 1 Ofl 

Gatch, Rev. P., 

Sketch of. By Judge M'Lean. 16ino 5!| 

Gruber, Jacob, 

Life of. By W. P. Strickland, D.D. 12mo 1 W 

Hamline, Bishop, 

Life and Letters of. 12mo 2 25 



BOOKS FOR THE FAMILY— BIOGRAPHY. 

fleddin^^ Bishop, 

Life and Times of. By D. W. Clark, D.D. Large 12mo. , $2 25 

Gilt 2 75 

Half calf. 3 00 

Heroes of Methodism^ 

By J. B. Wakelet. 12mo 1 75 

LexviSy Samuel^ 

Biograpliy of. l2ino •. 1 25 

Lives of the Popes, 

12mo 1 75 

Maxwell^ Lady^ 

Life of. By Rev. John Lancaster. 12mo 1 25 

Methodism^ Women of^ 

Bv Rev. Abel Stevens, LL.D. 12mo 1 50 

Gilt edge 1 2 00 

Moore^ Rev. Henry ^ 

Life of. By Mrs. R. Smith. 12mo 90 

Mother of the Wesleys, the. 

By Rev. John Kirk. 12mo 2 00 

Nelson^ John^ 

Journal of. 18rao 50 

New England Divines., 

Sketches of. By Rev. D. Sherman. 12rno 175 

Ouseley^ Rev. Gideon., 

Memoir of. By Rev. W. Reillt. 18mo 65 

Gill 1 25 

Pillars in the Temple; 

Or, Lives of Deceased Laymen of the M. E. Church Distin- 

fuished for their Piety and Usefulness. By Rev. W. C. 
MiTH. With an Introduction by C. C. INortu. Large 
16mo.,pp. 366 ^ 25 

Pioneer., Aictohiography of a, 

By Jacob Young. 12mo ^ ^^ 

Roberts^ Bishop, 

Lin^. of. By C. Elliott, D.D. 12mo 1 W) 



BOOKS FOR THE FAMILY— BIOGRAPHY. 

Ro^€rs^ Hester Anri^ 

Life of. 18mo $0 G5 

Smit/iy Rev. John^ 

Memoirs of. By Rev. R. TREFFiir. 18mo 76 

Successfiil MereJiant^ tJie. 

By Rov. William AiirnuR, A.M. lOmo 100 

Vi//iii:;e Blacksmith^ tJic, 

18mo 75 

Wall V End Miner, the, 

Or, A Brief Memoir of the Life of William Crister. By 
Kev. J. Everett. ISmo 50 

Walker, Rev, G. W„ 

Recollections of. By M. P. Gaddis. 12mo 1 75 

Watson, Rev. Richard, 

Life of. By Rev. T. Jackson. With Portrait. Svo 2 75 

Wesley and his Coadjutors. 

By Rev. Wm. C. Larrabee. Two volumes. IGino 2 25 

Wesley Fa?nin\ 

Memoirs of the. By Rev. A. Clarke, LL.D. 12mo 1 75 

Wesley, Rev. Charles, 

Life of. By Rev. T. Jackson. With Portrait. Svo 2 70 

Wesley,, Rev. John, 

Life of. By Rev. Richard Watson. 12ino 125 



D O C r H I N A L . 

Admonitory Counsels to a MetJiodist. 

Illustrating the Peculiar Doctrines and Economy of Meth- 
odism. By Rev. John Bakewkll. 18mo 3 Kl 

Analysis of Watson s Institutes, 

By Rev. John M'Clintock, D.D. ISmo 66 

Angels, 

Nature and Ministry of By Rev. J. Rawson. 18mo 85 



wnmnnp^ 



